Sam Francis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Francis
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Francis in 1968
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Samuel Lewis Francis
June 25, 1923 San Mateo, California, U.S.
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| Died | November 4, 1994 (aged 71) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Known for | Painting, printmaking |
| Elected | National Academy of Design (1994) |
Samuel Lewis Francis (born June 25, 1923 – died November 4, 1994) was an American painter and printmaker. He was known for his bright, colorful abstract art. His work helped American painting become famous around the world after World War II.
Contents
Early Life
Sam Francis was born in San Mateo, California. His mother, Katherine Lewis Francis, encouraged his love for music. When she passed away in 1935, it was a sad time for him. Later, he became very close to his stepmother, Virginia Peterson Francis. He went to San Mateo High School in the early 1940s.
During World War II, Francis served in the United States Air Force. In 1944, he became very ill with a serious back infection. He spent several years in the hospital. While recovering, an artist named David Park visited him in 1945. This visit inspired Sam to start painting.
After leaving the hospital, he went to the University of California, Berkeley. There, he studied art, botany, medicine, and psychology. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1949 and his master's degree in art in 1950.
Career and Artistic Development
Sam Francis's early art was inspired by abstract expressionists. These artists included Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, and Clyfford Still. He was especially influenced by Jackson Pollock's loose painting style. Francis later became connected with other abstract artists like Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler. They were interested in using color to show feelings.
However, Francis never quite fit into one art group. He created his own path as one of the first artists to work all over the world.
Working Around the World
In the 1950s, Francis lived in Paris, France. He had his first art show there in 1952. In Paris, his art was linked to a style called Tachisme. This style uses splashes and blobs of color. Art critics like Michel Tapié admired his work.
Between 1950 and 1958, Francis lived and painted in many places. These included Paris, southern France, Tokyo, Mexico City, Bern, and New York. His art changed as he experienced French modern painting, Asian culture, and Zen Buddhism.
His paintings from the 1950s changed over time. They started with simple, one-color abstract pieces. Then, he made large, colorful murals and "open" paintings. These "open" works had big white spaces. His painting "Big Red" was shown in a New York museum in 1956. After this, Francis quickly became famous worldwide.
He painted huge murals for important buildings. These included the Kunsthalle in Basel (1956-1958) and the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York (1959).
Later Works and Styles
From 1960 to 1963, Francis created several groups of paintings. One famous group was the "Blue Balls" series. These paintings had mostly blue, blob-like shapes and drips. They showed the pain he felt from a kidney illness in 1961.
In the early to mid-1960s, Francis moved back to California. He continued painting, mostly in Los Angeles. He also spent time in Tokyo in 1973-1974. In 1965, he started a series of paintings with large empty canvas areas. These works had minimal color and strong lines.
His art changed even more after 1971. He began to study his dreams and inner thoughts. This made him pay close attention to the images that came from his unconscious mind.
Francis's paintings from the early 1970s are sometimes called "Fresh Air pictures." He made these by pouring, dripping, and splattering color onto wet paint. This showed his strong interest in color again. By 1973-1974, many of his paintings had a grid pattern. This was made of crossing lines of color. Many of these grid paintings were very large, some up to twenty feet long.
After 1980, the grid pattern slowly disappeared from his art. Francis also became very active as a printmaker. He made many etchings, lithographs, and monotypes. He often made these at the Litho Shop in Santa Monica, which he owned.
In 1984, Francis started The Lapis Press. His goal was to create unique books with interesting designs.
In his last year, Francis was very ill. He could not paint with his right hand after a fall. But in a final burst of energy, he used his left hand. He completed about 150 amazing small paintings before he passed away. He died in Santa Monica and was buried in Olema, California.
Personal Life
Sam Francis was married five times and had four children. His first wife was Vera Miller (1947–1952). Then he married Muriel Goodwin (1955–1958). His third wife was Japanese painter Teruko Yokoi, and they had a daughter named Kayo. In 1966, he married Mako Idemitsu, and they had two sons, Osamu and Shingo.
His last wife was painter Margaret Smith. They married in Japan in 1985. Their son, Augustus, born in 1986, is also an artist.
International Reputation
Sam Francis worked and showed his art in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Because of this, he helped American painting gain fame around the world after the war. His art was often best understood in Europe and Japan. In 1991, he became an Associate member of the National Academy of Design. He became a full member in 1994.
International Collections
You can find paintings by Sam Francis in many museums worldwide. Some of these include:
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
- The Museum of Modern Art in New York
- The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California
- The Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland
- The Idemitsu Museum of Arts in Tokyo
- The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- The Centre Pompidou-Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris
Legacy
Auction Records
Sam Francis's paintings have sold for very high prices.
- On May 11, 2010, his 1957 painting "Middle Blue" sold for $6,354,500. This was a record for his art at the time.
- On May 15, 2013, "Symphony in Blue" (1958) set a record for his works on paper. It sold for $1,145,000.
- On May 11, 2016, "Summer #1" (1957) sold for $11,842,000. This set a new world record for his art. Collector Eli Broad bought it for his museum in Los Angeles.
- On November 9, 2022, "Composition in black and blue" (1955) sold for $13,557,500 at an auction in New York.
Foundation
After Sam Francis passed away, the Sam Francis Foundation was created. Its goal is to "research, document, protect and keep alive the artist's creative work." It also wants to "help the public learn about Sam Francis's art through education and information."
The Foundation worked with the University of California Press to publish a complete list of Francis's paintings. This list includes a book and two DVDs. They show 1,855 of his paintings. There are also photos, writings by and about Francis, and videos of him working. The Foundation is still looking for information about any "missing works" by the artist.
Documentary
In 2010, filmmaker Jeffrey Perkins released a movie called "The Painter Sam Francis." This documentary includes videos of Francis painting from 1968 to the early 1990s. It also has interviews with his friends, family, and people he worked with.
Tribute Song
- Sam Francis:Sam Francis (1985) song by Lopez Beatles
Solo Exhibitions, 1952–1994
During his lifetime, Sam Francis's art was shown in 113 solo exhibitions. These were held in museums and galleries. Since his death in 1994, his work has been featured in over 90 more solo shows.
Writings
- Aphorisms, Lapis, Santa Monica 1984 ISBN: 978-0-932499-02-8
See also
In Spanish: Sam Francis (pintor) para niños
- Pontus Hultén
- Color field painting
- Lyrical Abstraction
