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Sam Francis Paintings

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.

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Artist: Sam Francis
Untitled, 1994 (SFP94-36)
Untitled, 1994 (SFP94-36)

Untitled, 1994 (SFP94-36)

By Sam Francis

Located in Greenwich, CT

Untitled, 1994 (SFP94-36) is an acrylic painting on canvas, from Francis' 'Last Works' collection. The canvas is 18 x 22 inches and stamped verso with the Sam Francis estate stamp. F...

Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled (Iron Forest)

Untitled (Iron Forest)

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

Sam Francis (1923-1994) Untitled (Iron Forest) 1989 Acrylic on prepared paper 91.4 x 182.9 cms (36 x 72 ins) SF012

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled (SF64-048)

Untitled (SF64-048)

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

From the series Blue Balls, (1960-63). This series preoccupied Francis for a number of years, and as William C. Agee pointed out, are rooted in his threatened physical body. Again, t...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

UNTITLED (1969), [SF69-005], Abstract Painting by Sam Francis
UNTITLED (1969), [SF69-005], Abstract Painting by Sam Francis

UNTITLED (1969), [SF69-005], Abstract Painting by Sam Francis

By Sam Francis

Located in Hong Kong, HK

Sam Francis (1923‐1994) UNTITLED [SF69-005] acrylic on paper 104.7 x 74.9 cm (41 1/4 x 29 1/2 in) Executed in 1969 Signed and dated on the base This work is identified with the int...

Category

1960s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled, 1970 (SF68-44)
Untitled, 1970 (SF68-44)

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,...

Category

20th Century Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled SF73-681 - American Abstract Art 1973
Untitled SF73-681 - American Abstract Art 1973

Untitled SF73-681 - American Abstract Art 1973

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

This is an acrylic painting on wove paper by Sam Francis. It was painted in 1973. It is stamp signed with the two ink stamps of the Sam Francis Estate, verso. This work is identifi...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled SF85-19 - Painting American Abstract Expressionism
Untitled SF85-19 - Painting American Abstract Expressionism

Untitled SF85-19 - Painting American Abstract Expressionism

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

This is an oil painting on canvas by Sam Francis. It was painted in 1985. It is hand signed and dated in red pencil by the artist “Sam Francis 85” [2985], verso. This work is ident...

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Yellow and Black Square (1959), [SF58-133], Abstract Painting by Sam Francis
The Yellow and Black Square (1959), [SF58-133], Abstract Painting by Sam Francis

The Yellow and Black Square (1959), [SF58-133], Abstract Painting by Sam Francis

By Sam Francis

Located in Hong Kong, HK

Sam FRANCIS (1923-1994) THE YELLOW AND WHITE SQUARE Signed, titled and dated 1959 on the reverse Watercolor on paper 11 by 10 in. (27.9 x 25.4 cm.) Executed in 1959 This work is identified with the interim identification number of SF58-133 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Unique Works on Paper. PROVENANCE Zoe Dusanne...

Category

1950s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Untitled, SF78-255 - Acrylic Painting with Watercolour American Abstract Art
Untitled, SF78-255 - Acrylic Painting with Watercolour American Abstract Art

Untitled, SF78-255 - Acrylic Painting with Watercolour American Abstract Art

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled SF78-255 (Acrylic), 1978 Technique: Signed and Dated Acrylic on BFK Rives Paper Pap...

Category

1970s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled SF75-040 [Mandala] - American Abstract Art 1975 Mandala
Untitled SF75-040 [Mandala] - American Abstract Art 1975 Mandala

Untitled SF75-040 [Mandala] - American Abstract Art 1975 Mandala

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

This is an acrylic painting on wove paper by Sam Francis. It was painted in 1975. It is stamp signed with the two ink stamps of the Sam Francis Estate, verso. This work is identifi...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

SF 89-153.
SF 89-153.

SF 89-153.

By Sam Francis

Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län

Artwork size: 67 x 51 cm. Frame size: 112 x 97 cm. Free shipment worldwide. Archive number SF 89-153 in the Sam Francis Foundation. Stamped with the Sam Francis Estate logo and stamped signature on verso. Sam Francis’s paintings are a journey into a dream, a voyage into the landscapes of the soul where colours are lights on fire. Alongside names such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline, Sam Francis is an artist who has succeeded in demonstrating a total mastery of abstract expressionism’s impassioned and spontaneous genre. The explosions of colour – red, blue, green and yellow – the streaks, strokes and bold lines of his pictures are the physical synthesis of the deepest crevices of the soul. His colours create rhythmical motifs that, characteristically enough, can be called the “musicality” of his paintings. The work of Sam Francis provides a visible meeting place for the conscious and the unconscious. His pictures are the cross-fertilisation of what has already been experienced with what exists still only as desire, a struggle between melancholy and merrymaking. Influenced by C.G. Jung, the father of psychoanalysis, Sam Francis spent a large portion of his life exploring the premise that dreams, instincts and intuition provide, the keys which unlock the mysteries and meaning of our inner lives. He was also fascinated by the four ancient elements – earth, water, air and fire – which developed into a leitmotif in his work. Sam Francis was born in San Mateo in California, USA in 1923. After starting to paint at the age of around twenty, he soon found himself increasingly consumed by the power of art. He spent much of the 1950s in Paris, from where he not only made frequent excursions to a number of European cities, but also embarked on many journeys to South America and Asia. He continued to move from place to place, primarily in the USA and Japan, right up until his death in 1994. Sam Francis’s first...

Category

1980s Contemporary Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled (Black and White Composition) - Abstract Acrylic Painting, 1988
Untitled (Black and White Composition) - Abstract Acrylic Painting, 1988

Untitled (Black and White Composition) - Abstract Acrylic Painting, 1988

By Sam Francis

Located in Palm Desert, CA

A painting by Sam Francis. "Untitled (Black and White Composition)" is an abstract expressionism painting, acrylic on paper executed in black and white by American Post-War artist Sa...

Category

Late 20th Century Post-War Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Untitled (SFP94-78) (SFF.1754)
Untitled (SFP94-78) (SFF.1754)

Untitled (SFP94-78) (SFF.1754)

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

Sam Francis Untitled (SFF.1704) 1994 Acrylic on canvas 38.1 x 45.7 cms (15 x 18 ins) Provenance: Estate of the artist, California, 1994; Galleri Faurschou, Copenhagen, June 1996; ...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled SF80-1191
Untitled SF80-1191

Untitled SF80-1191

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled SF80-1191, 1980 Technique: Stamp Signed Acrylic on tissue thin Japan paper Paper si...

Category

1980s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

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Previously Available Items
Untitled (Los Angeles)
Untitled (Los Angeles)

Untitled (Los Angeles)

By Sam Francis

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Sam Francis (1923-1994) is one of the most distinctive and collected 20th-century abstract artists. After serving in the Air Force in WWII, Francis returned to his native Californi...

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1960s Sam Francis Paintings

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Paper, Acrylic

Untitled by Sam Francis
Untitled by Sam Francis

Sam FrancisUntitled by Sam Francis, 1965

Sold

H 56.38 in W 27.38 in D 2.88 in

Untitled by Sam Francis

By Sam Francis

Located in New Orleans, LA

Sam Francis 1923-1994 American Untitled Signed and dated "Sam Francis 1965" (en verso) Oil on canvas This striking painting hails from the renowned Edge Paintings series by impor...

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20th Century Modern Sam Francis Paintings

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Oil

Yea II
Yea II

Sam FrancisYea II, 1989

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H 8.5 in W 5.25 in

Yea II

By Sam Francis

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Sam Francis (1923-1994) is one of the most distinctive and collected 20th century abstract artists. After serving in the air force in WW II, Francis returned to his native Californ...

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1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

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Paint

"Yea" (Text by the poet Cid Corman)
"Yea" (Text by the poet Cid Corman)

"Yea" (Text by the poet Cid Corman)

By Sam Francis

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Sam Francis (1923-1994) is one of the most distinctive and collected 20th century abstract artists. After serving in the air force in WW II, Francis returned to his native Californ...

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1980s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

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SF 84-871
SF 84-871

Sam FrancisSF 84-871, 1984

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H 18.9 in W 13.78 in D 1.19 in

SF 84-871

By Sam Francis

Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län

Artwork size: 22 x 9 cm. Frame size 40 × 35 cm. Estate stamped on the verso. Archive number SF 84-871 Free shipment worldwide. Sam Francis’s paintings are a journey into a dream, a voyage into the landscapes of the soul where colours are lights on fire. Alongside names such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline, Sam Francis is an artist who has succeeded in demonstrating a total mastery of abstract expressionism’s impassioned and spontaneous genre. The explosions of colour – red, blue, green and yellow – the streaks, strokes and bold lines of his pictures are the physical synthesis of the deepest crevices of the soul. His colours create rhythmical motifs that, characteristically enough, can be called the “musicality” of his paintings. The work of Sam Francis provides a visible meeting place for the conscious and the unconscious. His pictures are the cross-fertilisation of what has already been experienced with what exists still only as desire, a struggle between melancholy and merrymaking. Influenced by C.G. Jung, the father of psychoanalysis, Sam Francis spent a large portion of his life exploring the premise that dreams, instincts and intuition provide, the keys which unlock the mysteries and meaning of our inner lives. He was also fascinated by the four ancient elements – earth, water, air and fire – which developed into a leitmotif in his work. Sam Francis was born in San Mateo in California, USA in 1923. After starting to paint at the age of around twenty, he soon found himself increasingly consumed by the power of art. He spent much of the 1950s in Paris, from where he not only made frequent excursions to a number of European cities, but also embarked on many journeys to South America and Asia. He continued to move from place to place, primarily in the USA and Japan, right up until his death in 1994. Sam Francis’s first...

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

SF 85-311
SF 85-311

Sam FrancisSF 85-311, 1985

Sold

H 23.63 in W 29.53 in

SF 85-311

By Sam Francis

Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län

Artwork size: 35 x 49 cm. Frame size: 60 x 75 cm. Free shipment worldwide. Archive number SF 85-311 in the Sam Francis Foundation. Signed by the artist. Sam Francis’s paintings ar...

Category

1980s Contemporary Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled (SF80-202)

Untitled (SF80-202)

By Sam Francis

Located in New York, NY

Sam Francis Untitled (SF80-202), 1980 acrylic on paper 17.75h x 23.75w in

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

SF72-026

Sam FrancisSF72-026, 1972

Sold

H 13 in W 16 in

SF72-026

By Sam Francis

Located in New York, NY

Gouache on Paper

Category

1970s Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

SF 79-1053.

Sam FrancisSF 79-1053., 1979

Sold

H 20.87 in W 17.72 in

SF 79-1053.

By Sam Francis

Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län

Acrylic on paper Stamped by the Sam Francis Estate on the reverse. Size without frame: 31×23 cm. (Size with frame 53×45 cm) Free shipment worldwide. Sam Francis’s paintings are ...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled SF78-916
Untitled SF78-916

Untitled SF78-916

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled SF78-916, 1978 Technique: Original Acrylic Painting on Paper Paper size: 37....

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1970s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

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Acrylic

Untitled

Sam FrancisUntitled, 1986

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H 30.063 in W 16.125 in

Untitled

By Sam Francis

Located in New Orleans, LA

Sam Francis (1923-1994) was a post-war American painter and is associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. He obtained his BA and MA at the University of California at Berkl...

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1980s Abstract Sam Francis Paintings

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Acrylic

Water Buffalo

Sam FrancisWater Buffalo, 1964

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H 19.5 in W 15 in

Water Buffalo

By Sam Francis

Located in London, GB

49.5 x 38.1 cms (19 1/2 x 15 ins) Edition of 50

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Color, Lithograph

Untitled (SF-238)

Untitled (SF-238)

By Sam Francis

Located in New York, NY

This original 2-color Lithograph was created in 1976. Signed in pencil and numbered, from the edition of 30 measuring 35 x 27 in (89 x 68.5 cm).

Category

20th Century Contemporary Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

SF 66-111
SF 66-111

Sam FrancisSF 66-111, 1966

Sold

H 42.92 in W 33.08 in

SF 66-111

By Sam Francis

Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län

Artwork size: 79 x 55 cm. Frame size: 109 x 84 cm. Free shipment worldwide. Archive number SF66-111 in the Sam Francis Foundation. Stamped with the Sam Francis Estate logo and stamped signature on verso. Sam Francis’s paintings are a journey into a dream, a voyage into the landscapes of the soul where colours are lights on fire. Alongside names such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline, Sam Francis is an artist who has succeeded in demonstrating a total mastery of abstract expressionism’s impassioned and spontaneous genre. The explosions of colour – red, blue, green and yellow – the streaks, strokes and bold lines of his pictures are the physical synthesis of the deepest crevices of the soul. His colours create rhythmical motifs that, characteristically enough, can be called the “musicality” of his paintings. The work of Sam Francis provides a visible meeting place for the conscious and the unconscious. His pictures are the cross-fertilisation of what has already been experienced with what exists still only as desire, a struggle between melancholy and merrymaking. Influenced by C.G. Jung, the father of psychoanalysis, Sam Francis spent a large portion of his life exploring the premise that dreams, instincts and intuition provide, the keys which unlock the mysteries and meaning of our inner lives. He was also fascinated by the four ancient elements – earth, water, air and fire – which developed into a leitmotif in his work. Sam Francis was born in San Mateo in California, USA in 1923. After starting to paint at the age of around twenty, he soon found himself increasingly consumed by the power of art. He spent much of the 1950s in Paris, from where he not only made frequent excursions to a number of European cities, but also embarked on many journeys to South America and Asia. He continued to move from place to place, primarily in the USA and Japan, right up until his death in 1994. Sam Francis’s first...

Category

1960s Contemporary Sam Francis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Sam Francis paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Sam Francis paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Sam Francis in paint, acrylic paint, synthetic resin 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Sherron Francis, Norman Bluhm, and Arthur Pinajian. Sam Francis paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $19,468 and tops out at $950,000, while the average work can sell for $94,561.