Sam Francis

Galerie du Dragon, Paris
Michel Tapié de Céleyran, Paris (acquired from the above in 1952)
Mme Lisbeth Kornfeld, Bern (acquired from the above circa 1959)
Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, June 21, 2002, lot 33
Richard L. Feigen & Co., New York (acquired from the above sale)
Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Paris, Galerie Nina Dausset, Sam Francis: Peintures, February 1952
Paris, Studio Paul Facchetti, Les Significants de l'Informel II, June 1952
Stockholm, Moderna Museet, Sweet Beat: Sam Francis, September – October 1960, cat. no. 12, illustrated in color 
Kunsthalle Basel, Sam Francis,  April - June 1968, cat. no. 10, illustrated in color 
Paris, Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Les Années 50, June – October 1988, p. 100, illustrated
Bern, Galerie Kornfeld, Sam Francis: Werke der Jahre 1945 - 1990: Eine Retrospektive 40 Years of Friendship, March - April 1991, cat no. 7, p. 55, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. Please refer to the following condition report prepared by Terrence Mahon. Framed.
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.

Sam Francis' storied career dexterously navigates fifty years of art history. A steadfast abstractionist, this categorization belies the exhilarating advancements he made as a colorist, achieved through his predilection for the primacy of color over form. Averse to trends, Francis was exceedingly sensitive to the nuances and whimsies of color, perhaps first cemented in his aesthetic psyche under the tutelage of the esteemed faculty at the California School of Fine Arts comprised at the time of David Park, Richard Diebenkorn and Frank Lobdell.

Soon thereafter, Francis moved to Paris in 1950, where he would live for seven years and study briefly at the Académie Fernand Léger. There he would produce a body of pictures that would be the first source of critical acclaim. The paintings produced were the White Paintings series, aptly titled due to their achromatic white ground, nimbly accented by soft grey and blue tones. The present work, White No. 1, appears to have been the sophisticated inaugural effort, where the technical proficiency of the artist is readily discernable. By thinning his oil paint and handling the media in the same manner that an artist would render a watercolor, the effect was visually luminous and set the precedent of a fantastically worldly and intellectual spirit to his art.