Sam Francis American, 1923-1994

Sam Francis was an American painter whose work became an important contribution to Abstract Expressionism and post-war international abstraction. Born in San Mateo, California, he initially studied medicine and psychology before turning to art following a serious illness. His experiences in hospital influenced his early artistic development and encouraged a profound interest in colour and perception. After the Second World War, Francis travelled to Paris, where he encountered European modernism and established himself within the international avant-garde. His paintings are characterised by expansive fields of colour, spontaneous gestures and areas of bare canvas that allow the composition to remain open and dynamic. Although associated with American abstraction, his work was equally influenced by European painting and the traditions of colour-based modernism. Francis travelled extensively and worked in the United States, France, Japan and Switzerland. His fascination with light, space and movement remained central throughout his career. Today, he is regarded as one of the leading American painters of the generation that transformed abstract art after the Second World War.