Sam Francis
Papierski
1992
Color lithograph on Rives watermark paper
71.6 × 56 cm
Ed. /50
Location: Paris, France
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About the artwork
Sam Francis’s lithograph titled “Papierski” is an exuberant and dynamic composition that exemplifies the artist’s mastery of color, movement and spatial rhythm. Created in 1992, the work bursts with splashes, drips and layered gestures of vivid red, yellow, green and blue. Each color interacts with the others in a state of energetic tension, forming overlapping shapes that seem to vibrate and expand across the sheet. The print reveals Francis’s distinctive approach to abstraction, in which spontaneous gesture and meticulous control coexist. The white of the Rives paper acts as an active surface, allowing the colors to breathe and creating a sense of luminosity. The layered composition gives the impression of depth and motion, as if the marks were suspended in mid air. Printed with rich saturation and precision, this lithograph embodies the late period of Francis’s work, defined by intensity, freedom and chromatic exuberance.
Expert opinion
“Papierski” is an outstanding example of Sam Francis’s late lithographic production. During the 1990s, Francis embraced increasingly bold chromatic contrasts and fluid gestures, and this print encapsulates that spirit with remarkable clarity. The composition shows the artist’s ability to create controlled chaos, where randomness becomes structure and color becomes architecture.
Works from this period are highly appreciated by collectors due to their expressive freedom and the refinement of the printing techniques used by Francis and his collaborators. The edition of 50 enhances the desirability of the piece, making it both rare and accessible within the market. As a signed and numbered lithograph published by Éditions Daniel Papierski, it holds a strong position in the artist’s catalog raisonné and stands as an excellent acquisition for any collection focused on American abstraction or postwar printmaking.
About the artist
Sam Francis (1923-1994) was one of the most influential American painters of the post-war period, renowned for his abstract works of exceptional luminous and chromatic intensity. Born in San Mateo, California, Francis initially studied medicine before turning to art after a long convalescence following an air crash during the Second World War. This episode had a profound effect on his work, in which light, space and freedom became recurrent themes.
Trained at the University of California at Berkeley, he followed in the footsteps of Abstract Expressionism, but distinguished himself from it with a more ethereal, meditative approach. In the 1950s, he moved to Paris, where he joined international artists' circles and exhibited at the Galerie du Dragon. He soon established himself on the world stage alongside such figures as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Joan Mitchell.
His work is characterized by an exploration of color as a vital, spiritual force, applied in blobs, splashes and transparencies. Francis also drew on Eastern philosophies and Zen thought, seeking to paint not objects but states of consciousness.
His work can be found in major public collections, including MoMA (New York), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), Tate Modern (London) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Through painting, lithography and engraving, Sam Francis has left a body of work of cosmic energy, celebrating light as a universal principle.
Additional info
Signed
3x
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