Sam Francis: Paintings & Works on Paper from the Early 60s

The five year span covered in this exhibition, 1960 to 1965, was a period of intense experimentation and innovation for Francis. Two of his most important series, “Blue Balls” and “Bright Ring” were produced during this time. Examples of both abstract series, including the large “Blue Balls” canvases Why Then Opened II and Blue Balls V, both 1962, will be on view. An untitled 1960 work on paper in which massive blue forms are outlined by white canvas is a precursor to the floating circular shapes in the “Blue Balls” works. In Why Then Opened II and a dynamic 1962 “Blue Balls” gouache on paper, yellows and reds mingle with blue, Francis’s signature color. Thick, multicolored brushstrokes work their way from the paper edge toward the center of Rainbow, a 1963-64 gouache. Minimalism and an indulgence in tone and texture are balanced in the 1965 Untitled oil on canvas “Edge” painting, in which a white field of paint is framed by colorful, undulating bands.