SAM FRANCIS

SAM FRANCIS, 1923–1994

Born in San Mateo, California, Francis was most known for his colourful paintings and abstract prints. After completing his studies in psychology and medicine, he left for Berkeley in 1946 to study painting, which he continued in San Francisco.

In 1948, Francis moved to Paris where he met other American artists who were interested in the same techniques as himself, such as Action Painting in particular.

During the 1950s, Francis found himself influenced especially by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, the latter working almost entirely through Action Painting.

In 1967, works by Francis were selected by James Johnson Sweeney for the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas.

At the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s, Francis spent several years in Tokyo before returning to California, where he spent the rest of his life living and working between Point Reyes in the north and Santa Monica in the south.