1973
Sam Francis was an American artist known for his exuberantly colorful, large-scale abstract paintings. His practice incorporated elements from Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Impressionism and Eastern philosophy to create a unique style of painterly abstraction.
Influenced by Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still, Francis is more closely associated to the work of Helen Frankenthaler, as he was more interested in the formal arrangement of the picture plane than the expressivity of the individual artist. “Painting is about the beauty of space and the power of containment,” Francis once reflected.
Born on June 25, 1923 in San Mateo, California, Francis briefly served in the US Air Force during World War II but was injured during a test flight. Returning to California, he received his BA and MA from UC Berkeley in botany and psychology before beginning to pursue a career in art. The artist traveled widely during his career, and he was closely aligned with the Art Informel movement while living abroad in Paris during the 1950s.
Francis died on November 4, 1994 in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 71. He was a founding trustee of Los Angeles’s Museum of Contemporary Art, and his paintings can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Kunstmuseum Basel, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, among others.
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Untitled SF-221, Abstract Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
A signed and numbered abstract print by Sam Francis. This bold composition is made up entirely of black on white and lithographed o...
Lithograph
SF-197, Signed Abstract Expressionist Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, noted for his lyrical, colorful abstract works, was one of the first American artists to experiment with "empty-center" painting. Born in 1923 in San Mateo, California, ...
Lithograph
Untitled (SF-355), Abstract Expressionist Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Untitled (SF-355), Portfolio: Papierski Portfolio, Year: 1992, Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 50...
Lithograph
Untitled (SF-351), Abstract Expressionist Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Untitled (SF-351), Portfolio: Papierski Portfolio, Year: 1992, Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 50...
Lithograph
Untitled (SFE-118), Abstract Expressionist Aquatint by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Untitled (SFE-118), Year: 1993-94, Medium: Aquatint, numbered in pencil and signature embossed, Edition: 4/20, Image Size: 35.75 x 18 inch...
Aquatint
Untitled (SF-353), Abstract Expressionist Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Untitled (SF-353), Portfolio: Papierski Portfolio, Year: 1992, Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: AP...
Lithograph
Metal Field
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Created in 1972, this work is a lithograph on wove paper that is hand-signed by Sam Francis (San Mateo, 1923- Santa Monica, 1994) in pencil in the lower right margin and is numbered ...
Lithograph
SAM FRANCIS Untitled (Lembark L172) 1974 Color Lithograph on paper, framed
By Sam Francis
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
SAM FRANCIS 1974 Lithograph in colors on Rives BFK paper 22.25 x 39 inches (55.9 x 99.1 cm) (sheet) Ed. 5/100 (there were also 9 artist's proofs). Lembark L172 Signed and numbere...
Archival Paper, Lithograph
Damp
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis Damp 1969 Lithograph, Edition of 20 66 x 94 cms (26 x 37 ins) SF14868
Lithograph
Damp
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
66 x 94 cms (26 x 37 ins) Edition of 20 Rives BFK paper Proofs: I BAT, 4 AP, 7 CTP, 9 XP Signed lower left; numbered lower left; publisher's chop lower left. Published by Tama...
Color, Lithograph
Untitled, 1985
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
This aquatint is hand-signed by Sam Francis (California, 1923- California, 1994) in pencil in the lower right and is a unique color trial proof aside from the edition of 30. Francis...
Aquatint
UNTITLED
By Sam Francis
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original Lithograph 38 3/8 x 28 inches Signed Lower Right Dated and Numbered 25/28 Lower Left
Lithograph
Through collage, painting and printmaking, the artist foregrounded Black life in America in revolutionary new ways.
By working with lettering, neon and Pop imagery, Chryssa pioneered several postmodern themes at a time when most male artists detested commercial mediums.
