Sam Francis Untitled 1989, is a vibrant lithograph which exemplifies the unmistakable visual language of Sam Francis, whose work helped redefine postwar abstraction through its fearless use of color, gesture, and spatial energy. Bursting across the surface in an animated constellation of brilliant yellows, fiery reds, cool blues, and verdant greens, the composition unfolds as an orchestration of fluid forms, splashes, and sweeping marks that seem to radiate outward with rhythmic intensity.

Francis creates a powerful sense of movement by layering bold circular motifs, sweeping arcs, and spontaneous splatters of pigment across a luminous field. The energetic interplay of color and form gives the work a feeling of continuous motion—almost as though the elements are expanding and colliding across the surface. At the same time, the artist’s masterful command of balance prevents the composition from becoming chaotic; instead, each mark contributes to a dynamic visual harmony.

Created during the later phase of Francis’s career, this work reflects the artist’s mature exploration of color as both structure and emotion. By this time, Francis had refined a style in which vibrant pigments appear to float within open space, producing an atmosphere that feels both explosive and atmospheric. The result is a composition that captures the immediacy of the artist’s gestures while maintaining a sense of luminous depth.

Printed as a lithograph in colors on fine wove paper and numbered from a limited edition of just 50 impressions, this work translates the vitality and scale of Francis’s celebrated paintings into an exceptional graphic composition. Works by Sam Francis are held in the collections of major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Bold, immersive, and unmistakably expressive, this large-scale lithograph stands as a compelling example of Francis’s enduring contribution to the language of modern abstraction—where color, gesture, and spontaneity converge in a work that feels both powerful and timeless.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Sam Francis Untitled, 1989 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonné and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. Sam Francis: Online Catalogue Raisonné Project, Ongoing, illustrated in color (online).
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Sam Francis Untitled, 1989 is presented in a complementary moulding and optical grade Plexiglas.