© Sam Francis, Untitled, 1990, Station Point Reyes, 64x95.5 cm, Acrylic on paper, Sam Francis Foundation, California, c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2023
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Sam Francis' birth (1923-1994), Museum JAN pays tribute to this American painter. The exhibition 'Homage to Sam Francis' shows a selection of Francis' work from our own collection, supplemented with special loans from art collector and Francis enthusiast Nico Delaive. Francis is often associated with Abstract Expressionism, a post-war American painting movement, but he developed his own style after his introduction to European and Eastern (modern) art. Francis became known for his paintings with expressive colors in a 'controlled chaos' of spots, drops, lines, and brushstrokes.
Sam Francis (1923–1994, California, USA)
Sam Francis began drawing and painting as a therapeutic activity: after an accident, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which confined him to bed for years. He received private lessons from David Park (1911-1960), a teacher at the California School of Fine Arts and an artist himself. Park introduced Francis to the work of abstract expressionists such as Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), and Clyfford Still (1904-1980). Francis graduated from art school in 1950 and then left for Paris to study European art. There, Francis' interest in light and color was sparked by the impressionist works of artists such as Monet. He experimented with different styles and was also inspired by Chinese and Japanese art. Eventually, he developed his own expressionist style with dripping, organic forms and a focus on light and color. His work has been exhibited all over the world.
100 years of Sam Francis | 80 years of Jan Verschoor
Collector and founder of Museum JAN, Jan van der Togt (1905-1995), was a great admirer of Sam Francis' colorful canvases. He assembled one of the largest collections of Francis' paintings in Europe. He liked to combine these paintings with his collection of glass art, in which he recognized a similar interplay of light, color, and transparency.
In addition to Francis' work, the exhibition space also features sculptures by artist and co-founder of this museum, Jan Verschoor (1943), who is celebrating his 80th birthday this year. His elegant sculptures engage in a dialogue with Francis' explosive and overwhelming paintings.