1987
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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Turn, 1972
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
In Turn, Sam Francis Turn, 1972, demonstrates his masterful command of color, gesture, and spatial balance—qualities that made him one of the most influential figures of postwar Amer...
Screen
Monotype Untitled, 1983
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Historical Description Bright with shooting streak of intense yellows and oranges, Sam Francis Monotype Untitled, 1983 is filled with stunning emotion. Francis creates a beautiful sy...
Ink, Oil, Handmade Paper, Monotype
Untitled, 1994
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
In Turn, Sam Francis Turn, 1972, demonstrates his masterful command of color, gesture, and spatial balance—qualities that made him one of the most influential figures of postwar Amer...
Lithograph
Untitled, from the Pasadena Box, 1964
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
This Sam Francis 1964, from the Pasadena Box, is lithograph in colors on wove paper, hand-signed by Sam Francis in pencil and annotated 'artist proof'. This striking lithograph from...
Lithograph
Untitled, 1994
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
This exuberant circular composition, Sam Francis Untitled, 1994, captures the artist’s unmistakable ability to translate energy, motion, and color into a dynamic visual experience. R...
Lithograph
Untitled, 1963
By Sam Francis
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Created circa 1963, this color lithograph on Rives BFK paper is hand signed by Sam Francis in pencil in the lower right and inscribed “Special Proof Marlene” in pencil in the lower m...
Lithograph
Untitled
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
Dynamic and bold color lithograph on Rives BFK. One of 20 numbered Hors Commerce impressions, aside from the edition of 176. This stunning print is signed and inscribed "H.C. 10/20" ...
Color, 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, 1970 (SF68-44)
By Sam Francis
Located in Greenwich, CT
Untitled (SF68-44) from 1970 is an acrylic painting on paper with an image size of 41 x 27.5 inches, signed and dated 'Sam Francis 1970' verso, and framed in a custom, closed-corner,...
Paper, Acrylic
Senza Titolo I
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
125.5 x 135.5 cms (49.41 x 53.35 ins) Edition of 58 Signed in pencil, inscribed 'Bon a tirer'. Published by 2RC Edizioni d'Arte, Rome Printed by Vigna Antoniniana, Rome, with t...
Aquatint, Color, Etching
Untitled
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis Untitled 1968 Lithograph, Edition of 3, experimental proof 66 x 47 cms (26 x 18 1/2 ins) SF15155
Lithograph
Untitled
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
114.3 x 70.5 cms (45 x 27.76 ins) Edition of 50
Color, Lithograph
