He lives in California where he is lucky to meet Still and Rothko in the early phase of definition of abstract expressionism. Sam Francis considers his own art as a healing glare and uses the brightest colors to express the light. Colors are fighting together with the arbitration of the blue, as often with Rothko. Like with Still, their balance gets rid of any geometric structure.
Sam Francis soon finds his own style, positioning his colors on large canvases with a freedom comparable to Kline's Action painting. America is not enough for him. He immerses himself in Asian culture and Zen and set up his studio in Paris where he is considered as a leader of tachisme. With another inspiration, Joan Mitchell is painting explosions of pure colors in the same violence.
On May 11 in New York, Sotheby's sells Summer # 1, lot 17 estimated $ 8M, oil on canvas 243 x 183 cm painted by Sam Francis in 1957.
SOLD for $ 11.8M including premium
May Looks for Sam Francis Records https://t.co/rvReLWJmwQ pic.twitter.com/8cgOvvpXsC
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) April 5, 2016