Francis Sam

Samuel Lewis Francis, known as Sam Francis, was born on June 25, 1923, in San Mateo, California. He was the son of Katherine Lewis Francis and Samuel Augustus Francis Sr. The untimely death of his mother in 1935 left a profound impact on him; she had been a key supporter of his early interest in music. After her passing, Sam developed a close relationship with his stepmother, Virginia Peterson Francis. In the early 1940s, he attended San Mateo High School.

Francis served in the United States Air Force during World War II, where he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis in 1944. Hospitalized for several years, it was during this period that he began painting, influenced by a visit from artist David Park in 1945. Upon his release, Francis pursued his passion for art at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a BA in 1949 and an MA in 1950, while also studying botany, medicine, and psychology.

Francis was initially inspired by abstract expressionists like Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, and Clyfford Still, with Jackson Pollock’s loose style greatly influencing his work. However, Francis carved his own path, becoming one of the first global artists with a career that spanned continents.

The 1950s saw him based in Paris, where he held his first exhibition at the Galerie Nina Dausset in 1952. During his Paris years, he associated with Tachisme, gaining recognition from critics Michel Tapié and Claude Duthuit. His artistic exploration led him through various stages, from monochromatic abstractions to vibrant murals, with his piece “Big Red” marking his rise to international prominence after its inclusion in a 1956 Museum of Modern Art exhibition.

Francis painted significant large-scale murals for institutions like the Kunsthalle Basel and Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. His innovative “Blue Balls” series in the early 1960s drew from personal health struggles, showcasing biomorphic forms and expressive color use.

Settling back in California during the 1960s, Francis continued experimenting with open canvas spaces and strong lines, further evolving his style after undergoing Jungian analysis in 1971. The 1970s saw the creation of the “Fresh Air” pictures, emphasizing his dedication to color and formal innovation. By the 1980s, his work largely moved away from structural grids towards a freer expression, although he remained highly active as a printmaker.

In 1984, Francis founded The Lapis Press to produce visually compelling texts, reflecting his broad artistic vision.

Sam Francis was married five times and had four children. His marriages included unions with artist Muriel Goodwin and Japanese painter Teruko Yokoi, with whom he had a daughter, Kayo. His later years were spent with Margaret Smith, leading to the birth of his son Augustus, who followed in his artistic footsteps.

Francis’s work garnered international acclaim, with his pieces housed in prestigious collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Centre Pompidou. Elected to the National Academy of Design in 1991, his contributions were formally recognized in 1994, the year of his passing.

A pioneer of postwar American painting, Sam Francis’s legacy lives on through his vibrant canvases and global influence, securing his place as a vanguard of modern art.