Sam Francis (1923-1994)
One of the twentieth century's most profound Abstract Expressionists, American artist Sam Francis (1923-1994) is noted as one of the first post-World War II painters to develop an international reputation. Francis created thousands of paintings as well as works on paper, prints and monotypes, housed in major museum collections and institutions around the world. Regarded as one of the leading interpreters of color and light, his work holds references to New York abstract expressionism, color field painting, Chinese and Japanese art, French impressionism and his own Bay Area roots.
An American abstract expressionist painter known for his large-scale, colorful works that often feature radiating energy, spontaneous brushwork, and geometric forms. His career began after a spinal injury in the Army Air Corps in 1943 led him to take up painting.