Sam Francis

Sam Francis (1923 - 1994) was an American artist, internationally renowned for bringing vivid color and emotional intensity to Abstract Expressionism. Besides echoing the style of contemporary Abstract Expressionism, his paintings incorporated elements of Surrealism, Impressionism, and Eastern philosophy, eventually developing a personal style of abstraction that focused on saturating around the picture plane with splashes and drips, exposing the luminous voids left uncovered to emphasize beauty through the subtle interplay of space, color, and light as in Opposites.

About Sam Francis

In 1950 Francis moved to Paris and was influenced by the work of Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse that revitalized his interest in light and vibrant color. While spending his time in Paris, Francis began his association with the parallel movement of Art Informel in Europe.  His long career was an energetic visual exploration as the artist traveled extensively during his lifetime and drew inspiration that ranges from the French modern painting, exposure to the study of Monet's Waterlilies to the aesthetics of Japanese Zen Buddhism.

His artistic development evolved from the muted palette of greys and whites followed by the qualities of light and color producing richly colored murals and "open" paintings that feature expanses of white space. The continued use of austere white picture plane contrasting with the vibrancy of color palette and increased dimensions of his paintings and murals for greater emphasis became the hallmark of Sam Francis Art as the artist created such works as the 1953 painting Big Red and the 1959 mural for the Chase Manhattan Bank, New York.

Today, Sam Francis's paintings can be found in international museum collections of The Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, the Centre Pompidou-Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among others.

Quick Facts about Sam Francis

• Sam Francis began his career as a pilot in the US Army Air Corps.
• His most expensive work at auction Middle Blue (1957) sold for over $6 million at Christie’s.