During the 1960s, Sam Francis’s fluid abstractions gradually simplified, moving to the edges of his compositions and leaving large areas untouched by color or gesture. His introduction to lithography began in 1959 with Tatyana Grosman at Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) in New York. When the peripatetic, California–born artist finally settled in Los Angeles in 1962, he turned to Gemini and Tamarind for his printmaking needs. Chinese Wall was created during his third visit to Tamarind. The following year, 1970, Francis attempted to get the Tamarind-trained printer Jean Milant to establish a workshop with him, but Milant preferred to work with more than one artist, so he started Cirrus Editions. Francis went ahead and established his own publishing and printing facility called the Litho Shop, and George Page, who had trained at Gemini, ultimately became his long-term printer.
Details
- Artist Name: Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994)
- Title: Chinese Wall
- Date: 1969
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: Sheet: 22 x 30 in. (55.9 x 76.2 cm)
- Publisher: Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Inc.
- Printer: Donald Kelley
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Anonymous Gift
- Accession Number: P.1972.08.010
- Copyright: © 2018 Sam Francis Foundation, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY Reproduction, including downloading of ARS works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Object Information
Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California
- Norton Simon Museum, 2011-10-02 to 2012-04-02
Prints from the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles: The First Decade
- Norton Simon Museum, 1990-12-20 to 1991-06-16
- Lehmbeck, Leah et al., Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California, 2011, Fig. 19 p. 28
Additional Artwork by Artist
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