 Sam Francis "Paradise of Ash"Sam Francis "Paradise of Ash 1 of 2" Lithograph in color on HMP Koller paper, in two sheets Numbered in pencil on lower margin Blindstamp of the publisher, published by Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles Ed. 11/43 Sheet Size (overall): 46 1/2" x 64 1/2" REF. #2058 $19,500 (diptych) |  Sam Francis "Paradise of Ash 2"Sam Francis "Paradise of Ash 2 of 2" Lithograph in color on HMP Koller paper, in two sheets Signed in pencil on lower margin Blindstamp of the publisher, published by Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles Ed. 11/43 Sheet Size (overall): 46 1/2" x 64 1/2" REF. #2058 $19,500 (diptych) |  Sam Francis "Essai"Sam Francis "Essai (SF-32)" Lembark 33 Lithograph from one zinc plate on ivory wove paper, c. 1963 Signed in pencil, lower margin Ed. PPII from edition of 20 Sheet Size: 15 3/4" x 12 1/2" REF. #2041 $9,500 |
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 Sam Francis "Untitled"Sam Francis "Untitled (SF-308)" c. 1986 Lembark, L267 Lithograph in colors on paper Signed "Sam Francis" within the image Blindstamp of the publisher, published by Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo Ed. 48/50 Sheet Size: 26 5/8" x 25 1/8" REF. #2063 $19,500 |  Sam Francis "Affiche Moderna Museet"Sam Francis "Affiche Moderna Museet Stockholm" Lembark 16 Lithograph in colors on Rives BFK paper, c. 1960 Signed in pencil, lower margin Published by Kornfield & Klipstein, Bern Ed. 56/75 Sheet Size: 35 1/2" x 24 3/4" REF. #2044 $7,950 |  Sam Francis "Concert Hall III"Sam Francis "Concert Hall III" Lembark 225 Lithograph in colors on Rives paper, c. 1977 Signed in pencil lower margin Published by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark Ed. 70/75 Sheet Size: 29" x 23" REF. #2045 $12,500 |
 Sam Francis "Surrounding White"Sam Francis "Surrounded White (SF-58)" Lembark 75 Lithograph in colors on Rives BFK paper, c. 1964 Signed in pencil, lower margin Ed. 23/35 Sheet Size: 35 1/2" x 24 5/8" REF. #2038 $10,500 |
SAM FRANCIS
His experiments with borders and the containment of washes of color would inform his work for decades, as he became increasingly concerned with the differences between solids and voids, boundaries and fields.
Native Californian painter and printmaker, Sam Francis is most noted for his use of dynamic forms saturated with intense color amidst spaces of white. He studied medicine and psychology at the University of California, Berkley, but joined the Air Force in 1943. Francis began painting during a prolonged hospitalization due to spinal tuberculosis. Upon his return to the United States, he pursued his art education at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and again at U.C. Berkley. Abstract Expressionism and French Impressionism influenced his early paintings, and most likely compelled him to move to Paris in 1950 where he remained for ten years. While there, he quickly exhibited his work in solo and group shows, earning him a reputation as a “tachiste” painter (meaning “stain” or “splash”), a group of painters that preferred to accentuate brilliant color through painterly strokes. After a highly successful stint in Paris, including shows at the Museum of Modern Art (1956) and the 1959 Bienal de Sao Paolo, Francis again returned to California in 1961 where he lived for the remainder of his life. In addition to his contemporary Western influences, the interplay of negative space and bursts of color can be attributed to his study of Japanese calligraphy art during his frequent visits to his vacation home in Japan.
Francis’ works have been exhibited in multitudes of international galleries and museums, including the New Tate Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art, Japan, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Moderna Museet, Stockholm.