Collection: Sam Francis

Sam Francis, full name Samuel Lewis Francis (San Mateo, California, June 25, 1923-Santa Monica, California, November 4, 1994) was an American painter and graphic artist.

Francis was initially influenced by the work of abstract expressionists such as Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky and Clyfford Still. He spent the fifties in Paris, where he held his first exhibition in 1952 at the Nida Dausset Gallery. While there he became involved with tachism. His travels took him through Italy, Mexico, India, Thailand and Hong Kong during those years. He later spent some time in Japan, and some have seen the influence of Zen Buddhism in his work.