Sam Francis

Sam Francis Estate, California
Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Florida, Bruk-Kahan Gallery, Sam Francis: Paintings/Works on Paper 1947-1990, 2000

 

Colour: The colours are fairly accurate though the tonality tends to be brighter and more vibrant in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Executed on cream wove paper and fixed to the mount along the edges, the edges are slightly deckled. There are several faint flattened creases at the lower left hand edge and and a further crease at the centre of the left edge. There are several very small splashes of pigment throughout though these are intrinsic to the artist's working process.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"By 1965, Francis had started a series of paintings that belonged unmistakably to the aesthetic of the sixties in its extreme openness, flat, pure color, strong line, and minimal shapes.  At the same time, these paintings continue old habits....  As strong and immediate as the color is, apparently a pure colour of the sixties, closer inspection reveals an extraordinarily rich modulation and internal spreading that could come only from the mastery of colour he had developed in the 1950s.  Indeed, it is the application of color that is almost antithetical to the art of the 1960s.  Finally, we need no reminder that the internal frame had by now long been present in Francis's work, another variant of the window and door formats he had assimilated from the art of Matisse and Bonnard and had turned to his own pictorial ends"  (William C. Agee, Sam Francis: Paintings 1947 - 1990, Los Angeles 1999, p. 41)