SAM FRANCIS | Blue Arc

Yayoi Gallery, Tokyo
Acquired from the above by the present owner in July 1993 

Humlebaek, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou; Stockholm, Lilkevalchs Konsthall; Jerusalem, Israel Museum, Sam Francis: Art in Progress, November 1977 - December 1979
Vancouver, Ace Gallery, Sam Francis: Paintings and Works on Paper, February - March 1979
Bern, Galerie Kornfeld, Sam Francis: ausstellung, ölbilder und farbige zeichnungen von 1976 - 1983, March - April 1983
Nagoya City Art Museum; Shiga, Museum of Modern Art; Gunma, Hara Museum Arc, Abstraction 5: John Altoon, Sam Francis, Craig Kaufman, and Ed Moses, March - August 1990, p. 41, illustrated in color 
Toulouse-Labège, Centre Régional d'art Contemporain Midi-Pyrénées, Sam Francis, November 1991 - February 1992, pp. 21-23, illustrated in color
Tokuyama City of Art and History, Sam Francis and Sengai: From the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, April - June 1997, cat. no. 16, pp. 40-41, illustrated in color
Milan, Studio Marconi, Sam Francis: Opere dal 1960 al 1983, May - June 2015 

Jan Butterfield, "Sam Francis," Flash Art, No. 106, February - March 1982, p. 23, illustrated
Peter Selz et. al., Sam Francis, New York 1982, pl. 159, p. 236, illustrated
Michel Waldberg, Sam Francis: Metaphysics of the Void, Toronto 1987, pp. 134-135, illustrated in color 
Yves Michaud and Marcelin Pleynet, Sam Francis, Paris 1992, p. 154, illustrated in color 
Debra Burchett-Lere, Ed., Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings 1946-1994, Berkeley 2011, cat. no. SFF.684, illustrated in color on the DVD
Genpei Akasegawa, Story of Personal Art Museums, Tokyo 2011, illustrated in color 

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling to the edges, including hairline craquelure at the pull margins. Under very close inspection, scattered pinpoint and unobtrusive spot accretions are visible in the upper left quadrant. There are small patches at the turning edge corners which are not visible when the work is stretched. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence 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.

“Paint used generously and put in the service of color and its energy and power to convey deep feelings is the hallmark, from beginning to end, of Francis’s art.”

William C. Agee in Debra Burchett-Lere, Ed., Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings 1946-1994, Berkeley 2011, pp. 12-13

This work is identified with the interim identification number of SFF.684 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings. This information is subject to change as scholarship continues by the Sam Francis Foundation.