David Benrimon Fine Art is pleased to announce its upcoming survey “Sam Francis: Abstract Impressionist.” The exhibition will trace Francis’ prolific five-decade career with a selection of paintings, works on paper and prints from his expansive oeuvre. Following his world travels and production of paintings, works on paper and prints, this show will focus on Francis’ exploration of the possibilities of bold color, gesture, abstraction, and the dynamic play of light and dark.

Originally influenced by the work of Abstract Expressionists, such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, Francis later became loosely associated with the second generation of Abstract Expressionists, including Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler. He was especially inspired by his exposure to French modern painting, Asian culture and Zen Buddhism. He was coined an “Abstract Impressionist” since he focused more on the perception of light, space and air than the physical surface of the painting. His early style evolved, beginning with monochromatic abstractions, followed by murals and open paintings that featured large areas of whiteness. Once his 1953 painting, “Big Red,” was included in the MoMA’s 1956 exhibition, “Twelve Artists,” Francis began to rise to international fame.

In the early 1960s, Francis created several series of works, including the “Blue Balls” series, which referenced his struggle with tuberculosis. After his illness subsided, he returned to California and began a series of “Void” paintings with large open canvases, minimal colors and strong lines. His subsequent “Fresh Air” paintings featured splatters of color on rolled-on wet bands of paint, reasserting the artist's primary interest in color. By the late 1970s, many of Francis' paintings featured a formal grid or “Matrix” created by crossing tracks of color. Many of these matrix works were large in scale, some measuring up to twenty feet long. After 1980, the formal structure of the grid gradually disappeared from Francis' work.

Because he worked and exhibited in the United States, Europe and Asia, Sam Francis is credited with helping to secure international recognition for Post-War American painting. His art has had an enduring influence on abstract artists and is featured within museums worldwide. It is an honor and a privilege to present his international, museum-quality work at David Benrimon Fine Art this March. Please join us from 11am-6pm on March 3rd for a full day gallery opening for “Sam Francis: Abstract Impressionist.”