1985
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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Chicago International Art Exposition, Abstract Expressionist Poster, Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Chicago International Art Exposition, Year: 1989, Medium: Poster, Size: 56.5 x 36.5 in. (143.51 x 92.71 cm), Printer: Black Box Collotype ...
Offset
Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Abstract Expressionist Poster by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Year: 1969, Medium: Poster, Size: 41 x 26 in. (104.14 x 66.04 cm)
Offset
Untitled (P-5), Abstract Expressionist Poster by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Untitled (P-5), Year: 1980, Medium: Poster, Edition: 1200, Size: 27.5 x 19.5 in. (69.85 x 49.53 cm), Printer: Bob Blair and George Page at Blair Litho, Los Angeles, Publisher: Centre International de Creation Artistique, Abbaye de Senanquem Gordes, Grance, Reference: Lembark P-5, Description: Poster for a Sam Francis exhibition...
Offset
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
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
Heland Thorden Wetterling Galleries, Abstract Expressionist Poster, Sam Franci
By Sam Francis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sam Francis, American (1923 - 1994) - Heland Thorden Wetterling Galleries, Year: circa 1985, Medium: Poster, Size: 39.5 x 27.75 in. (100.33 x 70.49 cm)
Offset
Tokyo Mon Amour - Lithograph by Sam Francis - 1963
By Sam Francis
Located in Roma, IT
Tokyo Mon Amour is an artwork realized by Sam Francis (1923 San Mateo, California) in 1963. Color lithograph. Hand signed and numbered 4/25. 80x47 cm not framed. Printed by Joe ...
Lithograph
Sam Francis - Poster Exhibition - Lithograph by Sam Francis - 1983
By Sam Francis
Located in Roma, IT
Sam Francis - Poster Exhibition is a mixed colored offset print realized in 1983. This print was realized in occasion of the exhibition dedicated to the artist and held in Studio Ma...
Lithograph
'National Collection of Fine Arts' 1968- Lithograph
By Sam Francis
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This 1968 poster, created for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is a remarkable example of fine art lithography. Printed by the renowned Atelier Mourlot, the poster em...
Lithograph
Senza Titolo III
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
125 x 135.5 cms (49.21 x 53.35 ins) Edition of 76 76 numbered impressions and 14 artist's proofs Fabriano Rosaspina paper Signed in pencil, inscribed 'Bon a tirer'. Published ...
Aquatint, Color, Etching
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
Untitled (SF 349), from: Papierski Portfolio 1973/84
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled (SF 349), from: Papierski Portfolio 1973/84 Technique: Original Hand Signed and Insc...
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.
