Sam Francis Untitled Blue, Red, Yellow 1986 Signed Lithograph Edition of 55

Artist: Sam Francis
Title: Untitled (Blue, Red, Yellow)
Medium: Color Lithograph
Year: 1986
Sheet Size: 25 1/4" x 19 1/2"
Edition: 38/55
Inscription: Signed and Numbered in Pencil on Front Lower Margin
Documentation: Modern Artifact Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

"Untitled (Blue, Red, Yellow)" belongs to a mature phase of Sam Francis's printmaking practice, when he translated the gestural energy and chromatic intensity of his painting into the graphic medium of lithography. Executed in 1986, the lithograph demonstrates Francis's signature interest in spontaneous mark‑making, layered color, and the dynamic interplay between form and space that defines much of his abstract work.

The composition draws the viewer into a vibrant visual field organized through primary color — blue, red, and yellow — arranged in overlapping, fluid gestures and punctuated by areas of negative (unprinted) space. The forms appear both organic and elemental: splashes, drips, and soft-edged washes merge and intersect, evoking movement, light, and a sense of natural rhythm. The result is a poetry of color and form, where pigment seems to float and glow, independent of any representational anchor.

As a lithograph, this print preserves the painterly qualities characteristic of Francis's canvases, capturing brush-like strokes, a sense of immediacy, and dynamic layering, while also demonstrating a disciplined approach to composition and tonal control that reflects the artist's mastery of printmaking. The signed and numbered edition, accompanied by a gallery certificate, affirms the work's provenance and authenticity, providing assurance of both quality and historical significance.

Within the broader context of Francis' oeuvre, "Untitled (Blue, Red, Yellow)" exemplifies his sustained fascination with color as an expressive force, capable of conveying emotion, light, and spatial depth. The print reflects his longstanding commitment to abstraction, his exploration of color theory, and his desire to evoke sensory and psychological resonance through minimal means.

Sam Francis's "Untitled (Blue, Red, Yellow)" is signed and numbered on the front lower margin, and purchase includes a gallery certificate of authenticity.  The work measures 25 1/4" x 19 1/2". This lithograph invites viewers to engage directly with color, movement, and space, offering an experience that is at once visceral and contemplative, a hallmark of Sam Francis's contribution to postwar American abstraction and modern printmaking.

About Sam Francis

Sam Francis was an influential American painter and printmaker whose work played a key role in postwar abstract art. Born in San Mateo, California, in 1923, Francis studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Early in his career, he was shaped by the West Coast art scene, but his work would come to reflect a synthesis of influences, including Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, and European modernist traditions. Francis's approach to abstraction emphasized spontaneity, luminosity, and an expansive use of color, making him one of the most distinctive figures in 20th-century American art.

Francis is best known for his large-scale canvases characterized by gestural brushwork, vibrant color palettes, and the strategic use of negative space. His signature style often involved a dynamic interplay of dripping, splattering, and pooling pigment, resulting in compositions that convey both movement and contemplative stillness. The balance between active mark-making and empty space distinguishes his work from the denser surfaces of East Coast Abstract Expressionists, situating Francis as a key figure in the development of West Coast abstraction and Color Field painting.

In addition to painting, Francis was a prolific printmaker, producing lithographs, screenprints, etchings, and monotypes that translated his painterly techniques into the graphic medium. His prints often replicate the same luminous washes, gestural spontaneity, and chromatic vibrancy of his canvases, demonstrating a mastery of both scale and material. Through his work in printmaking, Francis expanded the accessibility of his imagery while maintaining the compositional clarity and expressive force of his paintings.

Francis spent significant periods of his career in Europe and Japan, experiences that deepened his interest in Zen philosophy, landscape, and the meditative qualities of color and form. His work reflects an ongoing engagement with natural phenomena, light, and the spiritual dimensions of abstraction, producing a visual language that is at once immediate, sensory, and transcendent.

Throughout his career, Francis's work was exhibited widely in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Centre Pompidou. He received numerous awards and honors, and his paintings and prints are held in major public and private collections internationally. Francis's influence extends across generations, shaping both contemporary abstract painters and printmakers who seek to balance gesture, color, and spatial composition.

Sam Francis's legacy is defined by his ability to combine expressive freedom with formal rigor, creating works that are visually arresting, luminous, and contemplative. His exploration of color, space, and the expressive potential of abstraction secures his position as a central figure in postwar American art.