Sam Francis More Art
American, 1923-1994
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.
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
2
2
1
1
201
181
115
112
85
2
1
1
1
1
Artist: Sam Francis
SF64-045, Sam Francis, Acrylic, American Abstraction, Postwar, Work on paper
By Sam Francis
Located in Geneva, CH
SF64-045, Sam Francis, Acrylic, American Abstraction, Postwar, Work on paper
1964
Acrylic on paper
73 x 56.5 cm
94 x 75 cm / 37 x 29.5 in. (w...
Category
1960s Abstract Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Limited Signed Deluxe Monograph with Slipcase (signed & numbered by Sam Francis)
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
SAM FRANCIS: Limited Signed Deluxe Edition (Hand signed and numbered by Sam Francis), 1982
Deluxe limited edition hardback monograph with cloth boards, held in special slipcase of ts...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Silk, Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Board
Related Items
Untitled (Fresh Air School) /// Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Walasse Ting
By Walasse Ting
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Walasse Ting (Chinese-American, 1929-2010)
Title: "Untitled (Fresh Air School)"
Portfolio: Fresh Air School
*Unsigned edition
Year: 1972
Mediu...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Helen Frankenthaler: Tales of Genji (Catalog of 6 Prints) /// Abstract Female
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928-2011)
Title: "Helen Frankenthaler: Tales of Genji (Catalog of 6 Prints)"
Series: (after) Tales of Genji
*Issued unsigned
Year: 1998
Medium: The Complete Set of 6 Offset-Lithograph reproductions on light smooth wove paper
Limited edition: Unknown
Printer: Swan Engraving...
Category
1990s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Helen Frankenthaler: Reflections (Catalog of 12 Prints) /// Abstract Female Art
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928-2011)
Title: "Helen Frankenthaler: Reflections (Catalog of 12 Prints)"
Series: (after) Reflections
*Issued unsigned
Year: 1995
Med...
Category
1990s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Untitled (Fresh Air School) /// Abstract Expressionist Female Joan Mitchell Art
By Joan Mitchell
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Joan Mitchell (American, 1925-1992)
Title: "Untitled (Fresh Air School)"
Portfolio: Fresh Air School
*Unsigned edition
Year: 1972
Medium: Orig...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Basquiat Annina Nosei Gallery 1982 (Basquiat anatomy announcement)
By after Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, 1982:
Rare Basquiat announcement card published by Annina Nosei Gallery to advertise the release of ‘Basquiat Anatomy’ (a suite ...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
Frankenthaler, Mary Mary 1991, New York City, Lincoln Center
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: After Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011)
Title: Mary Mary (Lincoln Center Honorary)
Year: 1991
Medium: Offset lithograph poster on extra thick Somerset paper
Edition: 2000
Size...
Category
1990s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
The Man and the Big Blonde
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) was one of the torchbearers of post-war American abstraction and one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
With a career spanning nearly ...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Rose Art Museum (Open Wall) Poster /// Helen Frankenthaler Female Abstract Art
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928-2011)
Title: "Rose Art Museum (Open Wall)"
Year: 1981
Medium: Original Offset-Lithograph, Exhibition Poster on light wove paper
Li...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Offset, Lithograph
H 20.07 in W 37.57 in
Untitled (SF-348) (Fresh Air School) /// Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Art
By Sam Francis
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994)
Title: "Untitled (SF-348) (Fresh Air School)"
Portfolio: Fresh Air School
*Unsigned edition
Year: 1972
Mediu...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Bacon, Le Boeuf, 1986
By Francis Bacon
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: After Francis Bacon (1909-1992)
Title: Le Boeuf, exhibition poster
Year: 1986
Medium: Offset Lithograph on premium paper
Size: 30.75 x 18 inches
Condition: Excellent
Notes: Published by Foundation Maeght
FRANCIS BACON (1909-1992) Francis Bacon has a distinctive style as a figure painter. In his mature style, developed in the 1950s, the paintings include images of either friends or lovers, or images of people found in movie stills...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Sam Gilliam Handmade Paper "Untitled #34" Acrylic. Signed & Dated
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Detroit, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY
“Untitled #34” was created by Sam Gilliam, one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. It is dated and signed on the lower front. The thick handmade paper is rich with folds and texture and the colors lively. In addition to Acrylic paint on the surface there appears to be imbedded color in the handmade paper which has additional embossed accents. Unframed the piece measures 16 x 14. Provenance of Yaw Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan is on the verso along with the note that the Paper Surfaces in contact with this artwork are acid free.
In the mid-1960s he emerged from the Washington D.C. scene with works that elaborated upon and disrupted the ethos of Color School painting. A series of formal breakthroughs would soon result in his canonical Drape paintings, which expanded upon the tenets of Abstract Expressionism in entirely new ways. One profound manner was the sculpture aspect of the painting giving it a free flowing expression of pure color.
In the latter half of the 1950s, Washington D.C. saw a flourishing of abstract art that emphasized the form-making capabilities of pure color. Known as The Washington Color School, the loosely affiliated group of abstract painters knew each other through various teaching experiences. The moniker has an uncertain origin but likely originated with the title of a 1965 exhibition at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, "Washington Color Painters," curated by Gerald Nordland. The show exhibited the works of Kenneth Noland, Paul Reed, Morris Louis, Howard Mehring, Thomas Downing, and Gene Davis. Additionally, Leon Berkowitz...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
H 20.75 in W 19.75 in
Nocturnal Abstracted Full Moon Lava Landscape Lithograph #2
By Patricia A. Pearce
Located in Soquel, CA
Dramatic and compelling abstract lithograph of an abstracted lava-like form or glowing skyline under a full moon on a pitch black background by Patricia A. Pearce (American, b. 1948)...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis More Art
Materials
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
H 29.5 in W 10.25 in D 0.03 in
Sam Francis more art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Sam Francis more art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Sam Francis in mixed media, paper, acrylic paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Sam Francis more art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of KOKO HOVAGUIMIAN, Eric Ernst, and George Simmons. Sam Francis more art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $70 and tops out at $81,506, while the average work can sell for $1,800.