In 1997, we began a research project involving some of Sam Francis paints with the Getty Conservation Institute. This study, which focused on two paintings from the 1970’s and 65 samples from Francis’s studio, resulted in a number of published articles in technical journals, as well as a short film produced by the Getty Museum, Los Angeles. As the research, though limited in scope, was highly informative, we have determined to conduct an expanded study, encompassing every decade of Francis’ oeuvre, including canvas and works on paper. Our aim is to add to the educational and research archives of Sam Francis, currently held at the Getty Research Institute, and to promote scholarship of modern paints and methods of the post-World War II painters.
View published article from Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné
Notes on Sam Francis’s Painting Methods and Materials in Two Grid Paintings (PDF) by Aneta Zebala, Tom Learner, and Rachel Rivenc
This year we have begun an exciting project with the Getty Conservation Institute that is expanding our initial Paint Methods project. We have taken hundreds of paint samples from Francis artworks across the decades. A groundbreaking analysis of Sam Francis’s working methods and materials sheds new light on the celebrated artist’s creative process. BUY NOW