The 1957 oil painting Summer #1 sold for $11,842,000 in 2016, establishing a significant market benchmark for the work of Sam Francis. Born in San Mateo in 1923, Francis developed a multifaceted career as a painter, sculptor, and lithographer, moving between the United States, Europe, and Asia to cement his standing as an early global artist.
Military Service and Artistic Origins
Francis attended San Mateo High School and Nishimachi International School before serving in the United States Air Force during World War II. In 1944, he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis, leading to several years of hospitalization. During this period, he began painting after a 1945 visit from artist David Park. Upon his recovery, he pursued formal education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a BA in 1949 and an MA in 1950, studying botany, medicine, and psychology alongside art.
International Trajectory and Style
Throughout the 1950s, Francis lived and worked in Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, Bern, and New York. His early output was influenced by abstract expressionism, particularly the work of Jackson Pollock. His style evolved from monochromatic abstractions to large-scale, vividly colored murals featuring significant areas of white canvas. Exposure to Zen Buddhism and Asian culture significantly informed his aesthetic. In the 1960s, he produced the Blue Balls series, which referenced his recurring health struggles with renal tuberculosis.
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In 1971, Francis began Jungian analysis with Dr. James Kirsch, which deepened his focus on unconscious imagery. His subsequent Fresh Air pictures utilized rollers to apply color, asserting a new interest in texture. By the 1970s, he employed grids of crossing tracks of color, sometimes measuring twenty feet in length. Beyond his canvas work, he was an active printmaker at the Litho Shop in Santa Monica and founded the Lapis Press in 1984 to produce visually compelling texts.
Final Years and Legacy
During his final year, despite suffering from prostate cancer and an injury that inhibited his right hand, Francis used his left hand to complete approximately 150 small paintings. He died in 1994 in Santa Monica and was interred in Olema, California. Following his death, the Sam Francis Foundation was established to document and preserve his creative output. His work remains held in collections such as the Centre Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Kunstmuseum Basel.
Fast facts
- Born: 1923, San Mateo
- Died: 1994, Santa Monica
- Education: University of California, Berkeley
- Notable work: Untitled (Black Clouds)
- Awards: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- Movement: Abstract expressionism
- Foundation year: 1984 (Lapis Press)
- Citizenship: United States
Questions readers ask
What medical condition influenced the Blue Balls series?
The series referenced the pain associated with renal tuberculosis, which he suffered in 1961.
Where are the artist's remains?
He is buried in Olema, located in Marin County, California.
What was the purpose of the Lapis Press?
Founded by Francis in 1984, the press aimed to produce timely texts in visually compelling formats.
Achievements
- Notable work: Untitled (Black Clouds)
- Movement: abstract expressionism
