Sam Francis (1923-1994)

Regarded as one of the leading interpreters of color and light, Sam Francis' work references New York Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Chinese and Japanese art, French Impressionism, and his own Bay Area roots. Even though he was recognized within the Abstract Expressionist movement and what historian and critic, Clement Greenberg, called Post-Painterly Abstraction, Sam Francis developed a unique style which was an amalgamation of French and Japanese influences. His brilliant use of color and negative space, drew in countless admirers and collectors from Asia, Europe, and the U.S.

During the last year of his life, Francis suffered from prostate cancer and due to a fall, was unable to paint with his right hand. Undeterred, in a flash of energy and creativity, he used his left hand to complete a dazzling series of about 150 miniature paintings before he died. Although he suffered physically throughout the entirety of his life, his resilience was a testament to his creative spirit.

Museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California; The Basel, Switzerland, the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, Japan; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Centre Pompidou-Musée National d'Art Moderne, France

Sam Gilliam (1933-2022)

Gilliam is an African American artist from the Deep South, rose to prominence during the Civil Rights Movement. He developed a distinctive style, painting large, free-form canvases more akin to tapestries—an approach initially misunderstood by many in the art world, but now seen as genius, innovative and improvisational. He was undoubtedly one of the key innovators in post-war American painting. Gilliam made his mark on the Washington, D.C. art scene in the 1960s with works that challenged the boundaries of mid-century Abstract Expressionism. Always exploring new possibilities, he incorporated materials like ground glass, metal filings, and fabrics into his monoprints and mixed-media pieces.

Between moving states and his involvement in the US military, change was the only constant in his life and he eloquently exuded this through his art. He was also inspired by jazz music, thus his art shifted between forms, moods, and materials.

Museums: Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris; Tate Modern, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum, New York; and Art Institute of Chicago.

On the other hand, Sam Francis (1923-1994) began his life with the debilitating disease spinal tuberculosis, which kept him hospitalized for several years. Francis went on to create quite a splash on the art scene and is noted as one of the first post-World War II painters to develop an international reputation. He created thousands of paintings as well as works on paper, prints and monotypes, housed in major museum collections and institutions around the world.