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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Untitled (SF53-040)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
This work is from perhaps the most desireable period of Francis' work, this work is related to paintings held in major museum collections, such as Big Red, 1953 in the collection of ...
Watercolor
Untitled (#2 Pri-Rain) (SF64-592)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis Untitled (#2 Pri-Rain) (SF64-592) 1964 Gouache on paper 57.2 x 75.6 cms (22 1/2 x 29 3/4 ins) Frame size: 82.9 x 103.2 cms (32 5/8 x 40 5/8 ins) SF14652 $300,000 Exhibit...
Gouache
Untitled SF50-001
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis (1923-1994) was an American abstract painter, born in San Mateo, California. He turned to painting in the aftermath of World War II whilst recovering from severe injuries...
Egg Tempera
Composition in Red
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis Composition in Red c. 1960 Gouache on paper 52.5 x 24.5 cms (20 11/16 x 9 11/16 ins) SF14434 $125,000 Exhibited: Bernard Jacobson Gall...
Gouache
$75,000
Untitled SF74-863
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
In the 1970s, the beginning of a new phase in Francis’ career was defined by the emergence of the ‘color blotches’. These spots of gritty, shimmering color were made through glazes, ...
Acrylic
Sklye by Sam Francis - Painting, Acrylic, Abstract Art
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
*PLEASE NOTE UK BUYERS WILL ONLY PAY 5% VAT ON THIS PURCHASE. Sklye by Sam Francis (1923-1994) Acrylic on paper 14.6 x 10.2 cm (5 ³/₄ x 4 inches) Signed, Sam Francis and dated on th...
Paper, Acrylic
Untitled SF64-572 (Acrylic Watercolour)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled SF64-572 (Acrylic Watercolour), 1964 Technique: Signed and Dated Acrylic and Waterco...
Acrylic, Watercolor
$3,000
H 47.25 in W 46.07 in D 0.04 in
Moldovan Contemporary Art by Doïna Vieru - Untitled
By Doïna Vieru
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic & ink on photographic paper
Ink, Photographic Paper, Acrylic
Basement Systems
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Artist : Kory Twaddle Title : Basement Systems Materials : Acrylic, tempera, gouache, and glitter glue on cardboard drawing pad back Date : 2019 Dimensions : 18 x 12 x .2 in. Kory ...
Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...
$1,500
H 19 in W 27 in
'Corona 2' - Nature-based Abstract - Mixed Media - Cyanotype - Kapoor
By Caroline Bullock
Located in Atlanta, GA
"Corona 2," is an abstract work on paper featuring hues of gold, blue, turquoise, red, yellow, purple and white. This piece is framed in a simple white box frame behind Plexiglas mea...
Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
$8,250
H 30.25 in W 34.75 in D 1.5 in
Ward Lockwood Abstract Gouache on Paper, New Mexico, c. 1960
By Ward Lockwood
Located in Denver, CO
A striking abstract gouache and ink on paper by acclaimed American modernist Ward Lockwood (1894–1963), created circa 1960 during the artist’s later period. Richly layered in yellow,...
Mixed Media, Ink, Gouache
First Floor Biogram
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Title : First Floor Biogram Materials : Acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, marker, charcoal, graphite, and conté crayon on paper Date : 2018 Dimensions : 24 x 18 x .1 in. Description : ...
Paint, Paper, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, Graphite, Conté, Oil Pastel,...
Untitled-019 gouache and pencil by Vaclav Vytlacil
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Hudson, NY
Delightful petite abstract work by American abstract artist Vaclav Vytlacil. About this artist: Born in 1892 to Czechoslovakian parents in New York, Vaclav Vytlacil and his parents ...
Paper, Gouache, Cardboard, Pencil
$4,500
H 21.5 in W 20 in
"Study for TH" Diana Kurz, Mid-Century Push And Pull Abstract Expressionist Work
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Study for TH Pastel and gouache on paper 21 1/2 x 20 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family fled Austria, first...
Paper, Pastel, Gouache
$4,850
H 23.5 in W 21.5 in D 1 in
"Labyrinth" Acrylics and Ink on Paper in Hues of Raw Umber, Black and White
By Karina Gentinetta
Located in New York, NY
"Labyrinth" 2021, 23.5" x 21.5" vertical drawing on paper by Argentine-born artist Karina Gentinetta (featured in Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, New York Times, Traditional Home, ...
Glaze, Ink, Acrylic
$15,000
H 5.25 in W 8.25 in
Robert Natkin - unique early painting on historic Wells Street Gall. card Framed
By Robert Natkin
Located in New York, NY
Unique historic work Hand signed and dated on the front An exceptionally early gouache from 1957, executed on the verso of a Wells Street Gallery invitation card - one of the first c...
Watercolor, Gouache
$700
H 22.05 in W 29.93 in D 0.04 in
Indian Contemporary Art by Sumit Mehndiratta - Drawing 451
By Sumit Mehndiratta
Located in Paris, IDF
India ink and acrylic paint on archival watercolour paper Sumit Mehndiratta is an Indian artist born in 1986 who lives & works in New Delhi, India. He has pursued Master of Science...
Paper, India Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$3,000
H 11 in W 17 in
"Casper" Diana Kurz, New York Female Abstract Expressionist Gouache on Paper
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Casper Gouache on paper 11 x 17 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family fled Austria, first to England and then ...
Paper, Gouache
$450
H 30 in W 19.75 in
Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Sculpture', 2005 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
$11,423
H 14.57 in W 18.51 in
"Landscape at sunset-Luberon-France" Watercolor , cm. 29, 5 x 21 1960 ca
By Dora Maar
Located in Torino, IT
orange, green, sunset post-death inventory stamp of the artist's studio, bottom right Dora Maar is the pseudonym of Henrietta Theodora Markovitch (Paris 1907 - 1997). Shrouded in t...
Paper, Watercolor
$5,500
H 44.5 in W 50 in
Ellen Hackl Fagan, Seeking the Sound of Cobalt Blue_Delft, 2015, Rag Paper
By Ellen Hackl Fagan
Located in Darien, CT
Ellen Hackl Fagan is an interdisciplinary abstract painter who uses synaesthesia, digital media and interactive performance as tools for developing a corresponding language between color and sound in her work. This year she focused in on the core concept in her abstract work and began creating a small series of works on paper titled “Seeking the Sound of Cobalt Blue.” This series has evolved into floor to wall installations of blue paintings on paper and on the floor that explore the nature of printmaking processes, texture and surface. Ellen Hackl Fagan is the inventor of The Reverse Color Organ and the ColorSoundGrammar Game, two projects that enable viewers to interact aurally with color. In collaboration with cognitive scientist Michael Cole...
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Pigment
$900
H 22.05 in W 29.93 in D 0.04 in
Indian Contemporary Art by Sumit Mehndiratta - Drawing 435
By Sumit Mehndiratta
Located in Paris, IDF
Indian ink and acrylic paint, marker on archival paper Shipped in a tube Sumit Mehndiratta is an Indian artist born in 1986 who lives & works in New Delhi, India. He has pursued Ma...
Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper
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...
Acrylic
Untitled, No. 35
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
Sam Francis Untitled, No. 35, 1963 Gouache on paper 4.50h x 5.40w in
Gouache
SF 85-806.
By Sam Francis
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
Estate stamped Size without frame : 30x24 cm. Free shipment worldwide. Sam Francis’s paintings are a journey into a dream, a voyage into the landscapes of the soul where co...
Acrylic
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...
Paper, Acrylic