Artist: Sam Francis
Title: Untitled (Green, Blue, Red)
Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on Paper
Year: 1979
Size: 26" × 19.5"
Inscription: Signed, dated, and inscribed on verso ‘Sam Francis 1979 For Doris' Birthday - April 17 1984'.
Exhibition History: Sam Francis Works on Paper 1953-1986; The Ranchito Collection, 19 February - 19 March 1987, The Roy and Frances Brandstater Gallery, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Literature: "Sam Francis Works on Paper 1953-1986"; "The Ranchito Collection", The Roy and Frances Brandstater Gallery exhibition catalog, no. 20
Documentation: Modern Artifact Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
This untitled painting reflects Sam Francis's sustained engagement with color, light, and spatial composition. The painting demonstrates a vigorous application of pigment and an open, expansive arrangement, connecting to the broader discourse of Abstract Expressionism while also showing influences from European modernism and East Asian compositional strategies. The layered surfaces and luminous palette illustrate the artist's investigation of abstraction and the interaction of color and form.
"Untitled" (1979) was included in Sam Francis Works on Paper 1953–1986: The Ranchito Collection, exhibited at The Roy and Frances Brandstater Gallery, Loma Linda University, California, from 19 February to 19 March 1987. It is documented as no. 20 in the exhibition catalog, which provides a comprehensive record of Francis's output on paper over more than three decades. The work is accompanied by a gallery Certificate of Authenticity, and a complete record of provenance is available upon request. It is signed and dated on verso Inscribed on Verso “For Doris' Birthday – April 17 1984,”
"Untitled" (1979) represents a significant example of Francis's mature approach to works on paper and is of interest to collectors and institutions specializing in postwar abstraction. Its documented exhibition and inclusion in a major catalog contribute to its scholarly and historical significance as a significant example of postwar American art.
About Sam Francis
Sam Francis was an American painter whose vibrant use of color and expressive compositions established him as one of the leading figures in postwar Abstract Expressionism. Born in San Mateo, California, in 1923, Francis's artistic trajectory was shaped by both personal adversity and an engagement with international modernism. After serving as a pilot in World War II, he was hospitalized for several years following a serious back injury. During his long recovery, Francis began painting, an activity that soon evolved from therapeutic exploration to lifelong pursuit.
Francis studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in fine art. His early work reflected the gestural freedom of Abstract Expressionism, but by the early 1950s he developed a distinctive visual language characterized by fluid forms, radiant color, and luminous negative space. Moving to Paris in 1950, he became one of the few American painters to achieve significant international recognition during the decade, exhibiting widely across Europe and Japan.
Throughout his career, Francis maintained a global artistic presence, living and working in Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Santa Monica. His compositions often feature expansive white fields punctuated by pools and splashes of pure color, evoking a sense of motion, energy, and transcendence. While aligned with the spirit of the New York School, Francis's approach also reveals the influence of Impressionism, French modernism, and East Asian aesthetics. His fascination with color theory, light, and space led him to experiment with scale and materials, producing monumental canvases as well as works on paper, prints, and lithographs.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Francis's work evolved toward a more structured composition, incorporating cellular patterns and grid-like arrangements of color. Later series, such as the “Edge,” “Blue Balls,” and “Fresh Air” paintings, demonstrate a refined sense of balance between chaos and control, presence and absence. His process-oriented philosophy mirrored his interest in psychology, mysticism, and the natural world, transforming painting into a meditation on the vitality of life itself.
Sam Francis's art is represented in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern in London. His legacy endures through the Sam Francis Foundation, which preserves his work and promotes scholarly research into his career.
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