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Lot Essay
This work is identified with the interim identification number SF59-486 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Unique Works on Paper. This information is subject to change as scholarship continues by the Sam Francis Foundation.
In 1950, Sam Francis moved to Paris, where he became entrenched in a group of dynamic artists determined to differentiate themselves from the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. This community of ex-pats included Joan Mitchell, Norman Bluhm and the hard-edged geometric artist Al Held, who acquired this intimate but classically-Francis painting directly from the artist. It remained in Held’s personal collection until his passing, in 2005, a relic from the early days of the artists’ stylistic development abroad.
In 1950, Sam Francis moved to Paris, where he became entrenched in a group of dynamic artists determined to differentiate themselves from the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. This community of ex-pats included Joan Mitchell, Norman Bluhm and the hard-edged geometric artist Al Held, who acquired this intimate but classically-Francis painting directly from the artist. It remained in Held’s personal collection until his passing, in 2005, a relic from the early days of the artists’ stylistic development abroad.