Abridged Biography of Sam Francis
-Compiled by Debra Burchett-Lere
1923
Born 25 June, San Mateo, California, USA
1946-1950
Paints and studies in San Francisco area, California after plane crash and illness hospitalizes him for years
Receives B. A. degree in 1949 and M.A. degree in 1950 from University of California, Berkeley
Marries and divorces Vera Miller
1950-1958
Lives and works primarily in Paris, France with travels to Mexico, Japan, Europe, and USA Marries and divorces Muriel Goodwin
1952
First solo exhibition at:
-Galerie Nina Dausset, Paris, France
1955
Solo exhibition at Galerie Rive Droite, Paris, France
1956
Included in "12 Americans" show at The Museum of Modern Art, New York City (NYC).
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Rive Droite, Paris, France
-Zoe Dusanne Gallery, Seattle, Washington
-Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, New York
-Galerie Ad Libitum, Antwerpen, Belgium
Time Magazine describes Francis as "the hottest American painter in Paris these days"
1957
Travels to Japan and paints a mural for the Sogetsu School, Tokyo, Japan
Solo exhibitions at:
-Zoe Dusanne Gallery, Seattle, Washington
-Gimpel Fils, Ltd., London, England
1959
Rents additional studio in New York City and begins work on Chase Manhattan Bank mural Solo exhibitions at:
-Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California; travels to San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
Marries Teruko Yokoi; birth of their daughter, Kayo
1960-1966
Lives and works in Bern, Switzerland during another period of hospitalization
Solo exhibitions at:
-Kunsthalle, Bern, Switzerland; travels to Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
-Minami Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
-Kornfeld and Klipstein, Bern, Switzerland
-Galerie Benador, Zurich, Switzerland
Group exhibition at Documenta III, Kassel, Germany (Basel Mural panels are shown)
Divorces Teruko Yokoi
1962
After release from hospital, moves back to California, first staying in Santa Barbara and then Santa Monica
Purchases property and designs new studio at 345 West Channel Road, Santa Monica which becomes his permanent home base
Maintains studio in Paris until it is razed in 1983
Solo exhibition at:
-Esther Bear Gallery, Santa Barbara, California
1966
Creates "sky painting" performance over Tokyo Bay, Japan.
Marries Mako Idemitsu; birth of their son, Osamu.
1967
Solo exhibitions at:
-Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
-Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; travels to: University Art Museum, Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
Creates another performance work: "snow painting" in Naibara, Japan
1968
Receives honorary Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley
Solo exhibitions at:
-Centre National d' Art Contemporain, Paris, France
-Kunsthalle, Basel, Switzerland
-Minami Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1969-1972
Birth of Francis' third child, Shingo (1969)
Creates mural-sized canvas for National Gallery of Art, Berlin, Germany
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
-Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, New York
-Felix Landau Gallery, Los Angeles, California
Establishes The Litho Shop, Inc. to print and publish his own limited edition prints
1972-1973
Solo exhibitions at:
-Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; travels to: Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC; Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Texas; Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA. Solo exhibition at Stanford University Museum of Art
1973-1974
Lives and works primarily in Tokyo studios. Solo exhibitions at Idemitsu Art Museum, Tokyo; Minami Gallery, Tokyo
1975-1977
Solo exhibitions at:
-Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
-Kornfeld and Klipstein, Bern, Switzerland
-Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California
Begins series of collaborations on monotypes with Garner Tullis
1977-1978
Solo exhibitions at:
-Louisiana Museum of Art, Humlebaek, Denmark with portions of exhibition; travels to: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden and Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
1978
Solo exhibitions at:
-Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, California
1979
Solo exhibitions at:
-Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts; travels to: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Korea, Japan under the U.S. International Communication Agency
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Brooke Alexander, New York, New York
1980
Solo exhibitions at:
-Abbaye de Senanque, Gordes, France
-Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
-Riko Mizuno Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California
Divorces Teruko Idemitsu
Elected to Board of Trustees at Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
1981
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Ace Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Ruth Schaffner Gallery, Santa Barbara, California
Establishes temporary painting studio in San Leandro, CA to paint a mural for the San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California
1982
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
-Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1983
Completion of mural for San Francisco Airport.
Solo exhibitions at:
- Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, Switzerland
-Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California
-Fondation Maeght, St. Paul, France
-Studio Marconi, Milan, Italy
-Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California
-Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo
Receives prestigious "Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" from France
1984
Forms Lapis Press to publish books
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Cantor/Lemberg Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan
-Robert Elkon Gallery, New York, New York
-Knoedler Gallery, London, England
1985
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, Switzerland
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
-Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Completion of mural for the San Francisco Museum of Art
Marries Margaret Smith in Japan
1986
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Receives commission to paint ceiling mural for the Opera National, Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium
Birth of Francis' fourth child, Augustus
Purchases studio space in Palo Alto, and maintains working studios in Santa Monica
1987
Solo exhibitions at:
-Knoedler Gallery, London, England
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, Santa Barbara, California
-Heland Thorden Wetterling Galleries, Stockholm, Sweden
-Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany
1988
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
-Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California
-Greenberg Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri
-Galerie de Seoul, South Korea
-Toyama Museum, Toyama, Japan; travels to: The Museum of Modern Art, Seibu Takanawa, Karuizawa; The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga; Ohara Museum of Art; Murashiki, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo
1989
Solo exhibitions at:
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, England
-Linda Farris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
-Knoedler Gallery, London, England
Works in Manchester, England
1990
Solo exhibitions at:
-Associated American Artists, New York, New York
-Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-Heland Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
-Ogawa Art Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
-Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Purchases properties and rents studio in northern California at Pt. Reyes Station. Still maintains several working studios in Santa Monica and Venice, California
1991
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, Switzerland
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Gagosian Gallery, New York, New York
-Centre Regional d'Art Contemporain Midi-Pyrenees, Toulouse-Labege, France
1992
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Daniel Papierski, Paris, France
-Museum van der Togt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Publication of "The Prints of Sam Francis: A Catalogue Raisonné" by Connie Lembark, published by Hudson Hills Press
1993
Solo exhibitions at:
-Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany
-Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany
-Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Venice, California
-Michel Cohen Gallery, New York, New York
-Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho
-Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Galerie Iris Wazzau, Davos, Switzerland
-The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California
Major painting is commissioned for the German Parliament building, Bonn, Germany
Donation of ten paintings to The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, California
1994
Solo exhibitions at:
-Long Fine Art, New York, New York
-Galerie Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Venice, California
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Galerie Proarta, Zurich, Switzerland
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
-Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, Ilinois
-University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California
-Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, Switzerland
Daco Verlag Gunter Blase, Stuttgart, Germany publishes major monograph on monotypes
Receives the "Distinguished Alumnus Award" from University of California, Berkeley
Sam Francis dies on 4 November in Santa Monica, California from complications of prostate cancer. His wife, Margaret Smith and their son, Augustus as well as children from previous marriages survive him: Kayo, Osamu, and Shingo, and three grandchildren: Tai, Aisha, Mawusi
Francis is buried in northern California near Point Reyes Station
1995
Solo exhibitions at:
-Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Grunwald/UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California
-Kunstverein Ludwigsberg, Frankfurt, Germany
-Jeu de Paume Museum, Paris, France (reunites the three "Basel Mural" panels).
1996
Solo exhibitions at:
-Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California
-Sogetsu Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
-Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, California
-Gallery Guy Pieters, Knokke, Belgium
-Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin, Germany
-Galerie Proarta, Zurich, Switzerland
1997
Solo exhibitions at:
-Frederick M. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California; travels in expanded form to Fundacion Caja de Madrid, Spain
-Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York
-Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Museo d'Arte, Mendrisio, Switzerland
-Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1998
Solo exhibitions at:
-Thomas Segal Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
-Fundacion Miro, Barcelona, Spain
-Gallery Guy Pieters, Knokke, Belgium
1999
Solo exhibitions at:
-Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Los Angeles, California
-Robert Green Fine Arts, Mill Valley, California
-Galleri Faurschou, Copenhagen, Denmark
-Ikon, Santa Monica, California
-Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles, California
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
-Baukunst Galerie, Cologne, Germany
1999-2001
Solo exhibitions at:
-Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; travels to: The Menil Collection, Houston, Texas; Konsthall Malmoe, Sweden; the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain; Galleria Communale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome, Italy (reunites the three "Basel Mural" panels)
2000
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galleri GKM Siwert Bergstrom, Malmo, Sweden
-Richard Gray Gallery, New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois
-Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-Lawrence Rubin Greenberg Van Doren Fine Art, New York, New York
-Galleria il Gabbiano, Rome, Italy
-Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Osaka and Tokyo, Japan
2001
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Guy Pieters, Saint-Paul de Vence, France
-Alan Cristea Gallery, London, England
-Galerie Proarta, Zurich, Switzerland
-Brian Gross Gallery, San Francisco, California
-Lawing Gallery, Houston, Texas
2002
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany
-Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany
-Galerie Boisseree, Cologne, Germany
2002-2003
Solo exhibitions at:
-Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, Japn organizes major exhibition from their collection that travels to six museums in Japan
-Galerie Iris Wazzau, Davos, Switzerland
2003
Solo exhibitions at:
-Musee d'Art et d'histoire, Freiburg, Switzerland
-Ace Gallery, Beverly Hills, Californa
-Artemis Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, New York, New York
-Robert Green Fine Arts, Mill Valley, California
-Broadbent Gallery/Robert Sandelson Galleries, London, England
-Santa Monica Community College, Santa Monica, California
2003-2004
Solo exhibition of monotype prototypes at Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2004
Solo exhibitions at:
-Baukunst Galerie, Cologne, Germany
-Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany
-American Contemporary Art Gallery, Munich, Germany
-Galerie Proarta, Zurich
2004-2005
Major retrospective exhibition at Museum Jan van der Togt, Amstelveen, The Netherlands (organized with Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam)
2005
Solo exhibitions at:
-Galerie Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Los Angeles, California
-Kaare Berntsen, Oslo, Norway
-Movimento Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
-Robert Sandelson Gallery, London, England
-American Contemporary Art Gallery, Munich, Germany
Documentary archives of the artist's estate acquired by the John Paul Getty Art Museum Research Institute, Los Angeles, California
2006
Solo exhibitions at:
-Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland
-Galerie Flintholm, Verster Skerninge, Denmark
-Robert Green Gallery, Mill Valley, California
-Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France
2007
Solo exhibition at:
-LC Galerie, Paris, France
2008
Solo exhibitions at:
-Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles, California
-Galerie Proarta, Zurich, Switzerland
-Galleria San Carlo, Milan, Italy
-Galleria Repetto, Acqui-Termi, Italy
2009
Solo exhibitions at:
-College of the Canyons Art Gallery, Santa Clarita, California
-American Contemporary Art Gallery, Munich, Germany
-Smith Andersen North, San Rafael, California
-Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Los Angeles, California
-Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie, Bielefeld, Germany
-L & M Arts, New York, New York
-Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, England
2009-2010
Solo exhibitions at:
-Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
2010
Solo exhibitions at:
-Danubiana Art Museum, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
-Galerie Proarta, Zurich, Switzerland