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.
$6,800Sale Price|20% Off
Sam Francis Web 1972 Artist Proof 4-color Screenprint
By Sam Francis
Located in West Palm Beach, US
4-color Artist Proof Screenprint by Sam Francis pencil signed on the lower right. In white wood and plexiglass frame.
Paper
$36,000 / set
Sam Francis 'Living in your own light', 1976
By Sam Francis
Located in Dallas, TX
Sam Francis 'Living in your own light', 1976. A suite of six lithographs signed, dated and numbered 15/20.
Paper
$13,200Sale Price|20% Off
Sam Francis (Am. 1923-1994) “Paradise of Ash” Large Scale Framed Dyptich
By Sam Francis
Located in Chicago, IL
Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994). Pair of color lithographs titled "Paradise of Ash" depicting blocks of color with the artist's signature network of splashes, 1981. The black squar...
Plexiglass, Giltwood, Paper
Sam Francis: Ting (Lembark S8) Lithograph, Signed
By Sam Francis
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ting: (Lembark S8) lithograph in colors by Sam Francis, American, (1923-1994). 1972; ed. 17/75 (there were also 9 artist's proofs); signed and numbered in pencil; published by Gemini...
Paper
Shark by Roy Henry Vickers, 1976
Located in Kenilworth, IL
Serigraph print of a shark in bold black and red, the traditional colors of Native American art from the Northwest Coast. Roy Henry Vickers, CM OBC (Orde...
Paper
John O'Hara, Get Your Shit Together, Embossed Serigraph
By John O'Hara
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
John O'Hara's famous 'Get Your Shit Together' painting is now a 2-color embossed serigraph on recycled archival hemp paper. Hand signed by the artist. This work is unframed. Forsyth is proud to be the exclusive gallery of John O'Hara (American, b. 1963). O'Hara is a self-taught artist from St. Louis and is known for his large-scale abstract decorative pieces. His medium of choice is encaustic-a mixture of pigments and beeswax and he allows the material to dictate color, line and texture. His works often feature natural and organic forms and incorporate both figural and abstract elements. O'Hara began his art career in 2018 and collectors and designers quickly took notice. His work is included in both public and private collections around the world. Michael Kors selected O'Hara's Tar series paintings for his Milan, Paris, and New York showrooms and his flagship store in London. O'Hara's Brands on Yellow is hanging in the lounge of New Orleans luxury boutique hotel, Maison de la Luz...
Paper
Gravure Lithograph Signed Ferrer
By FERRER
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Gravure Lithograph signed Ferrer April 1992, entitled "shared consciousness" Litho: 75cmx55cm Encadrement: l: 93cm, h: 75cm, p: 3cm
Paper
1976 David Lance Goines "Full Circle" Lithograph
By David Lance Goines
Located in San Carlos, CA
Excellent vintage lithograph designed and printed by David Lance Goines in 1976 to commemorate the 1 year existence of Full Circle Vintage Graphics...
Other
$2,280Sale Price|20% Off
H 37 in W 44 in D 2 in
Large Signed Limited Edition Giclee Entiltled "Paradise" by Michael Godard
Located in San Diego, CA
Signed limited edition giclee on canvas entitled "Paradise" by Michael Godard, circa early 2000s. This large print is hand-signed and numbered (292/300)...
Canvas
$2,850
H 46.5 in W 31.5 in D 2 in
Marc Chagall Lithograph Large Scale 46x31 Impressive Gilt Frame Mid Century Art
By Marc Chagall
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large Scale Color Lithograph, designed to promote travel to Nice in the South of France, by Marc Chagall, and executed by the legendary printer Mourlot, France, circa 1950s. It has b...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Erte Artist Proof Winter Resort Nice Rare Size
By Erté
Located in Westport, CT
Signed Erte artist proof rare size winter resort nice in original gilt frame size approximate 21x 24 framed 25 x 30.
$750 / set
H 18 in W 11 in D 0.07 in
Set of 12 Original Antique Large Scale Botanical Prints. Dated 1791
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful set of 12 botanical prints. A beautiful colour of off-white/cream to the paper. Dated 1791 Originally from " Flora Londinensis " published by William Curtis Copper-pla...
Paper
Henri Matisse Vibrant Large Scale Lithograph
By (after) Henri Matisse
Located in Atlanta, GA
Vibrant large scale Lithograph, after Henri Matisse, French, signed within the print "Matisse '52", this lithograph is probably circa 1970s. Th...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$1,274
H 24.81 in W 32.49 in D 0.79 in
Luigi Veronesi Hand-Signed and Numbered Untitled Serigraph, 1976
By Luigi Veronesi 1
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
This elegant untitled serigraph by Italian artist Luigi Veronesi, created in 1976, is a fine example of his mastery in blending geometric abstraction with color theory. Hand-signed b...
Paper
$500 / set
H 18 in W 11 in D 0.07 in
Set of 8 Original Antique Large Scale Botanical Prints. Dated 1791
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful set of 8 botanical prints. A beautiful colour of off-white/cream to the paper. Dated 1791 Originally from " Flora Londinensis " published by William Curtis Copper-plat...
Paper
Frances Goodman Bite Your Tongue Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Print Archival pigment print on Moab Entrada Measures: 20.00 x 20.00 in 50.8 x 50.8 cm Edition of 50 This work comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity. Frances Goodman...
Paper
Sold
H 62 in W 34 in D 1.5 in
Sam Francis Signed Large Limited Edition 11 Color Modern Abstract Screenprint
By Sam Francis
Located in Studio City, CA
A deeply engaging, widely colorful work by California born, American artist Sam Francis made specifically for the 25th Anniversary of the Music Center in Los Angeles. The piece, ...
Acrylic, Paper
Sold
H 46 in W 67 in D 3 in
"Generated" Composed of Two Lithographs by Sam Francis Framed in Maple Frame
By Sam Francis
Located in Stamford, CT
"Generated" by Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994) is composed of two lithographs that are signed and dated in pencil; 1982 on the right sheet; numbered 40/40 on the left sheet (there ...
Paper
Sam Francis, Forst Copper, 1973
By Sam Francis
Located in Dallas, TX
Sam Francis. First copper, 1973. Etching with aquatint on wove paper. Ed. 29/60. Signed in pencil lower right and numbered lower left. Provenance: Foster Goldstrom Fine Arts,...
Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Stamford, CT
Untitled lithograph by Sam Francis. Numbered 10/20.
"Generated" Lithograph by American Artist Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in Stamford, CT
"Generated," a lithograph by American Artist Sam Francis (1923-1994). Pencil signed and dated 1982 on the right sheet; numbered 29/40 on the left sheet (there were also eight artis...
Paper
Signed Sam Francis McGovern '72 Poster
By Sam Francis
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Signed by Sam Francis, a presidential campaign poster for George McGovern, 1972. Colors are vivid. Poster will ship in a gallery frame. 24.5" by 38".
Original Sam Francis: "Paradise from Ash"
By Sam Francis
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Circa 1981; Lembark, 247 Two amazing 10-color lithographs with panel (diptych); signed lower right and numbered lower left 37/43. Publisher: Gemini G.E.L. Beautiful museum-style w...
Exceptional Modernist Original Lithograph by Sam Francis
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
This is an original large scale lithograph by Sam Francis "untitled" SF 269 from 1982. It is out of an edition of 250 and it is # 74, it is also hand signed as well in pencil .It is ...