WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Sam Francis

Sam Francis

Sam Francis

Artist

WA-00000115

PaintingAbstract Expressionism

Representation

None documented

28

Institutional Exhibitions

95

Works in Collection

159

Assets Indexed

6

Authority-backed Facts

0

Publications Referenced

90%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (1)

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

Master Prints from the Collection

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1989

No image

Abstractions

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1988–1989

No image

American Prints, 1960�1985

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1987

No image

Tatyana Grosman Gallery Inaugural Installation

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1985–1986

No image

Selections from the Permanent Collection: Painting and Sculpture

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1984

No image

Selections from the Permanent Collection: Prints and Illustrated Books

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1984

No image

For 25 Years: Prints from ULAE

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1982

No image

A Century of Modern Drawing, 1881�1981

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1982

No image

Art for Corporations

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1978

No image

Reinstallation of the Painting and Sculpture Collection

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1976

No image

American Prints: 1913�1963

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1974–1975

No image

Works on Paper

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1973

Field Verification (5 fields)

0 cross-verified · 5 single-source

LocationGallery Generic + Unknown· 72%
BiographyUnknown· 30%
Birth yearUnknown· 30%
NationalityUnknown· 30%
Profile imageUnknown· 30%

Source Registry (5)

Kasminhttps://www.artsy.net/artist/sam-francis
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
Phillips-Artsyhttps://www.artsy.net/artist/sam-francis
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
Sothebyshttps://www.sothebys.com/en/artists/sam-francis
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
Christies-Artsyhttps://www.artsy.net/artist/sam-francis
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/1965
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

No biography available for Sam Francis yet.

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Abstract Expressionism

Medium

Painting

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art Art Institute of Chicago Cleveland Museum of Art Museum of Modern ArtNew York Tate

Canonical record

Artworks (95)

Boundayr

1988 · Illustrated book with six aquatints

Page: 14 3/16 x 10 7/16" (36 x 26.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

In-text plate (folio 15) from Boundayr

1985 · Aquatint

plate 6 15/16 x 3 15/16" (17.7 x 10.1 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

In-text plate (folio 6) from Boundayr

1985 · Aquatint

plate 6 15/16 x 5 7/8" (17.7 x 15 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Plate (folio 12) from Boundayr

1985 · Aquatint

plate 5 15/16 x 4 15/16" (15.1 x 12.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

In-text plate (folio 10 verso) from Boundayr

1985 · Aquatint

plate 3 15/16 x 2 15/16" (10 x 7.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Plate (folio 4 verso) from Boundayr

1985 · Aquatint

plate 6 15/16 x 4" (17.7 x 10.2 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Headpiece (folio 9) from Boundayr

1985 · Aquatint

plate 3 15/16 x 2 15/16" (10.1 x 7.6 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1984 · Woodcut monotype with raw pigment and oil additions

composition and sheet: 42 3/16 x 46 1/8" (107.2 x 117.1cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1982 · Lithograph

composition and sheet: 47 3/8 x 34 3/8" (120.4 x 87.3cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1982 · Lithograph

composition and sheet: 48 1/16 x 34 5/16" (122 x 87.1cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Untitled

1982 · Lithograph

composition and sheet: 48 1/16 x 34 3/16" (122.1 x 86.8cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Falling Star from Eight Lithographs to Benefit the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, Inc.

Falling Star from Eight Lithographs to Benefit the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, Inc.

1981 · One from a portfolio of eight lithographs

composition and sheet: 35 13/16 x 28 1/16" (91 x 71.2cm)

Museum of Modern Art

SF-258, Untitled

1980 · lithograph

Sheet: 70.4 x 101.4 cm (27 11/16 x 39 15/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Concert Hall I

1976 · Lithograph on paper

image: 561 x 447 mm

Untitled (no. 222)

1976 · Lithograph

composition and sheet: 28 7/8 x 41 3/4" (73.3 x 106cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Always in and Out of Need

Always in and Out of Need

1975 · Lithograph in black and gray on white wove paper

96.6 × 205.7 cm (38 1/16 × 81 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

SF-323, Untitled

1975 · lithograph

Sheet: 68.9 x 89 cm (27 1/8 x 35 1/16 in.); Image: 60 x 79.8 cm (23 5/8 x 31 7/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Untitled

1973 · Brush and black ink and gray wash on ivory wove paper

47.9 × 38.8 cm (18 7/8 × 15 5/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Opened

1973 · Lithograph in black on white wove paper

90.4 × 66.2 cm (35 5/8 × 26 1/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Self-Portrait

1973 · Color lithograph on white wove paper

Image: 40.2 × 30 cm (15 7/8 × 11 13/16 in.); Sheet: 66.2 × 51 cm (26 1/8 × 20 1/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

SFE-1D "Square"

1973 · etching and aquatint

Sheet: 63.8 x 89.8 cm (25 1/8 x 35 3/8 in.); Platemark: 39.8 x 45.2 cm (15 11/16 x 17 13/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

SF-012, Self-Portrait

1973 · lithograph

Sheet: 66 x 50.9 cm (26 x 20 1/16 in.); Image: 40.2 x 29.9 cm (15 13/16 x 11 3/4 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

For James Kirsch State 1

For James Kirsch State 1

1972 · Color lithograph from eight plates on white wove paper

71 × 105 cm (28 × 41 3/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Chinese Opal

1970 · Color lithograph from six aluminum plates on white wove paper

89.2 × 63.5 cm (35 1/8 × 25 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

View all 95 artworks →

Artwork sources (5)

95 published of 154 catalogued · 126 with image

MoMA
59 publishedof 118 catalogued97 img
Art Institute Chicago
24 published24 img
Cleveland Museum of Art
5 published
Tate
5 published5 img
The Met
2 published

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 8)

8 entries · 1 sources

Hurrah for the Red, White, and Blue
1961 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Damn Braces
1960 · Tate · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Around the Blues
1957 · Tate · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Concert Hall I
1976 · Tate · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Blue Blood Stone
1960 · Tate · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
SFE-1D "Square"
1973 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
SF-258, Untitled
1980 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
SF-012, Self-Portrait
1973 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

Record

Images

Artsy artist portrait

Artsy

Wine, Cheese, and Fruit (1857)

Art Institute of Chicago

Blasted Tree (1850)

Art Institute of Chicago

Railway Encroachment (1864)

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

11

Peers & Context3

Joan MitchellcontemporaryHelen FrankenthalersimilarMark Rothkosimilar

Movements1

Abstract Expressionism

Collections7

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Art Institute of Chicago Cleveland Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art Tate Christie's

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

In collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

In collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In collection

Tate

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

Market

Auction sale history

Houses that have sold works by this artist at auction