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.
Find authentic Sam Francis art today on 1stDibs.
Sam Francis Untitled (Abstraction) Monotype, 1986
By Sam Francis
Located in Astoria, NY
Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994), Untitled (Abstract Composition), Monotype with oil paint, powdered pigment and ink in colors on handmade paper, 1986, signed in pencil lower right,...
Ink, Oil, Handmade Paper, Pigment, Monoprint
Composition by Sam Francis - Abstract, mixed media
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
*PLEASE NOTE UK BUYERS WILL ONLY PAY 5% VAT ON THIS PURCHASE. Once an order is placed we will arrange the VAT of 20% to be reduced to 5% Composition by Sam Francis (1923-1994) Acryl...
Paper, Acrylic
$75,000
H 37.25 in W 48.88 in
Fields I /// Joan Mitchell Large Diptych Etching Aquatint Female Abstract Artist
By Joan Mitchell
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Joan Mitchell (American, 1925-1992) Title: "Fields I" Portfolio: Fields *Signed and numbered by Mitchell in pencil (on second sheet) lower right Year: 1992 Medium: Original E...
Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio, Handmade Paper
$3,400
H 10 in Dm 10 in
White Path - 3D small contemporary abstract round mural sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Erin Vincent is a Toronto based-artist whose work draws on a variety of repetitive and labor intensive processes and materials. Things and common objects have always fascinated Vinc...
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
$574
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
After Turner-One Off, Proof No 1-British Awarded Artist-Seascape-river Thames
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This is a large Artist's Proof with original oil and gesso paint highlighting; it is the No 1 of the only 3 Proofs; the colours of the painting and Shizico's expressive brushstrokes ...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée, Gesso, Oil, Acrylic
$750
H 30.25 in W 22.75 in
Mon Jardin Zoologique /// Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Animal Modern Art
By Serge Helenon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Serge Helenon (French, 1934-) Title: "Mon Jardin Zoologique (My Zoological Garden)" *Signed by Helenon in pencil lower right Year: 1989 Medium: Original Carborundum Engraving...
Handmade Paper, Engraving, Intaglio
$3,600
H 12 in Dm 12 in
Lapis - 3D small contemporary blue abstract round mural sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Erin Vincent is a Toronto based-artist whose work draws on a variety of repetitive and labor intensive processes and materials. Things and common objects have always fascinated Vinc...
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
$519
H 47.25 in W 31.5 in D 0.04 in
Hand-Painted Large Artist Proof-Summer Night-British Awarded Artist-One Off
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This stunning Artist's Proof is an one-off, oil hand-painted, signed at front and on the back label too; each proof is 80% hand painted by Shizico Yi, because the nature of hand mixe...
Gesso, Archival Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Giclée
$700Sale Price|20% Off
H 34 in W 23 in D 1.5 in
South Ridge Series #66, Abstract Landscape
By Katherine Chang Liu
Located in Soquel, CA
A beautiful abstracted landscape, mixed media print and painting, in soft pastel hues by California artist Katherine Chang Liu (American, 20th-century). Signed and dated "Katherine C...
Ink, Oil, Archival Paper, Etching
$1,250
H 29 in W 23.5 in
Metamorphosis of Zan Biell, Abstract Woodcut on Rice Paper by Keisuke Serizawa
By Keisuke Serizawa
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Keisuke Serizawa, Japanese (1895-1984) Title: Metamorphosis of Zan Biell Year: circa 1970 Medium: Woodcut on Rice Paper, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: AP Size: 29 x...
Rice Paper, Woodcut
$2,750
H 30 in W 22 in
Diana, Abstract Expressionist Lithograph on Japon Paper by Antoni Tapies
By Antoni Tàpies
Located in Long Island City, NY
This lithograph was created by Catalan artist Antoni Tapies. Tàpies started as a surrealist painter, and his early works were influenced by Paul Klee and Joan Miró. However, he soon ...
Rice Paper, Lithograph
$1,200
H 22.5 in W 18 in
Présence /// French African Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Engraving Modern
By Serge Helenon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Serge Helenon (French, 1934-) Title/Portfolio: "Présence (Presence)" *Each work is signed by Helenon in pencil lower left or lower right Year: 1985 Medium: The Complete Portf...
Handmade Paper, Engraving, Intaglio
$5,250
H 41 in W 31.5 in
PWW-777 - Eric Mack - Contemporary Abstract Collage Painting Based off the Grid
Located in Signal Mountain, TN
PWW-777 is part of Eric Mack's ongoing body of work utilizing multi-media, complex compositions, and a grid centered around urban design. Using a grid to create the framework of the painting, Mack has utilized Zerox copies adhered by a matte medium to create graphic imagery of electronics from the 90s, small bits of a map of various places in Germany, and vinyl records. Mack paints on top of a torn canvas, and on the edges you can see the frayed, painted canvas mounted to the white backing of the frame. The work is finished with glass that shows minimum reflection as well as a customized 2 inch, white frame. Eric Mack (b.1976, Charleston) creates mathematically based renderings with a distinct post-modern twist. Works are informed with super imposed grids, patterns, and portals. Layered surfaces are created with paint, found objects, natural fibers, and synthetic substrates that explore the systems of our visual world. His most recent show “Charting the Terrain” is on view now at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles was covered by the Los Angeles Times, KCRW, and LALA Magazine. His last solo exhibition was titled "Impossible Architectures" at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017. Recent group shows include "Abstract Mind" at the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art, South Korea, "Small Works 2017 at Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, "Checkered History", Outpost Artist Resources, Brooklyn, N.Y. 2015; Collections include High Museum Atlanta, Ing Investments, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport - Atlanta + Atlanta Gas & Light Co. Pepsi Cola, Tate Properties, Heath Gallery, Harold Dawson Properties, Turner Field/Atlanta Braves...
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic
1
Located in New York, NY
Abstract painting. Acrylic paint and ink on archival paper. In white frame.
Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper