- 178
Sam Francis
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
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Description
- Sam Francis
- First Day
- signed and partially dated 198 on the reverse
- acrylic on canvas
- 48 by 60 in. 121.9 by 152.4 cm.
- Executed in 1989.
Provenance
Private Collection, Tokyo
Private Collection, Tokyo (acquired from the above in 2013)
Sotheby's, New York, 14 November 2013, Lot 142 (consigned by the above)
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner
Private Collection, Tokyo (acquired from the above in 2013)
Sotheby's, New York, 14 November 2013, Lot 142 (consigned by the above)
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner
Exhibited
London, Knoedler Gallery, Sam Francis: Paintings (Owed to William Blake), November - December 1989, illustrated in color and illustrated in color on the cover
Literature
Debra Burchett-Lere, Ed., Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of the Canvas and Panel Paintings 1946-1994, Berkeley 2011, cat. no. 1611, illustrated in color on the DVD
Condition
This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and handling toward the edges. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there are 4 pinpoint drip accretions in the lower left yellow form that fluoresce lightly but do not appear to be the result of restoration. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
"Francis’s color poured forth, breaking loose from the formal structure of the grid...Francis continued to expand the resources and limits of color, for he was also fascinated by Jung’s reading of alchemy. Thus he came to understand painting as involving a transformation of the ancient elements of earth, water, air, and fire, and could state without qualm that fire and air had given birth to color, that color was indeed the real force in nature and the psyche. He was now truly in uncharted waters, relying on intuition alone, a risky working method with no guarantees of success…Color, far from being solely decorative, had always been for him the means of embodying emotion, and now it took on the substance and power of nature itself."
William C. Agee, "Sam Francis: Color, Structure and the Modern Tradition" in Sam Francis: Paintings 1947-1990, Los Angeles 1999, p. 45