Biography
American painter and printmaker, Sam Francis, was born in San Mateo, California, in 1923. This profound Abstract Expressionist has been noted as one of the first post-WWII painters to build an international reputation. His works can be found in major museum collections and institutions all over the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Though Francis was born and died in the Bay Area of California, he traveled far and wide during his career as a professional artist. Upon receiving his degree in art from Berkeley in 1950, he moved to Paris where his career transformed. Over the course of forty years, he would maintain studios in Bern, Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, New York and California.
Francis' travels exposed him to many different artistic styles and cultural influences that inspired his expansive creative process. He is best known for his understanding of light and color that was expressed in large-scale, colorful abstract paintings. Greatly influenced by Jackson Pollock, his splattered canvases allowed for free circulation of strong color and sensitivity to light. Francis created thousands of paintings in addition to works on paper, prints and monotypes.