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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2008.134
People
Sam Francis, American (San Mateo, California 1923 - 1994 Santa Monica, California)
Title
EXP-SF-17-02
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1979
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/329338

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Mixed media monotype on handmade paper
Technique
Monotype
Dimensions
sheet: 79 x 63 cm (31 1/8 x 24 13/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: Sam Francis
  • inscription: l.l in pencil: Sam Francis

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York], sold; to Gerald McCue, New York, New York, gift; to Harvard Art Museum, 2008.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Gerald McCue, John D. Dunlop Professor Emeritus, Former Dean of the Faculty of Design
Copyright
© Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Accession Year
2008
Object Number
2008.134
Division
Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact
am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Commentary
Sam Francis, an artist who experimented with many forms of printing, ran his own press, the Litho Shop. This print is typical of his style influenced by abstract expressionism and the color field theory. His monotypes, like his later paintings, were done on a horizontal plane. Francis is an intuitive artist that used the motion of his whole arm to apply rich colors creating explosive overlapping compositions that create the depth of space on thick homemade paper. By pressing a plate, smaller than the paper, into the print he constructs an intentional boarder that he then breaks by extending his lines and colors past it.

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu