Sam Francis
American, 1923 - 1994
Person TypeIndividual
BiographySam Francis was born in San Mateo, California in 1923. He began painting after an injury ended his WWII military service; he later earned his Master of Fine Arts at the University of California, Berkeley. Francis split time throughout his career between studios in California, Paris, Tokyo, and Bern. He became an internationally acclaimed artist with his work that balances levity and liquidity, emphasizing negative space. Known as ma in Japanese, this "full" space allows light to shine through, co-mingling action (bold colors) and stillness (white). In his own words, "Painting is about the beauty of space and the power of containment." Francis has been featured in shows at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist died in Santa Monica, California in 1994. (From Paths and Edges exhibition, Guggenheim Gallery, August 2015)