Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994), Flying Love, 1963, Color Lithograph

Sam Francis (American, 1923–1994) was a California-born painter and printmaker whose work joined Abstract Expressionism with the freer handling of European Art Informel. After studying at the University of California, Berkeley, he moved to Paris in 1950 and developed an international career spanning Europe, Japan, and the United States. Francis used saturated color in floating pools and splashes, often leaving broad areas of white paper to function as active space. He became deeply engaged with printmaking during the 1960s, working with Tamarind and other major workshops to translate the transparency, layering, and physical energy of his paintings into lithographs. His work is held by the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, and the Idemitsu Museum of Arts.

Flying Love, 1963, color lithograph from zinc plates on Rives BFK wove paper by Sam Francis. The composition is built from sweeping passages of deep blue, red-orange, and yellow, with broad curving forms, dense clusters of stippled color, and freely scattered droplets spreading across the sheet. Printed by Irwin Hollander and published by the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Los Angeles, the work is recorded as Tamarind catalogue no. 789. It was issued in an edition of 10 with nine additional Tamarind impressions. This impression is inscribed in graphite “Tam Imp” at lower left and signed “Sam Francis” at lower right, with the Tamarind and Irwin Hollander blindstamps along the lower margin; “Tam Imp” identifies an impression retained by the workshop outside the numbered edition. The verso bears the Tamarind catalogue number “789” in graphite. Sheet measures approximately 24 x 19 inches. The sheet shows light overall toning and minor handling; image presents well. Provenance of Martin and Enid Gleich.

Condition
Please review the photos for a complete understanding of condition.

Dimensions
24 x 19 in