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Sam Francis — Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel
Sam Francis — Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel
Sam Francis — Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel
Sam Francis — Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel
Sam Francis — Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel
Sam Francis

Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel

This luminous lithograph emerges from a collaborative project between Sam Francis and French poet Michel Waldberg, capturing the artist's mature exploration of color and light as primary vehicles for expression. Created in 1986, the work demonstrates Francis's characteristic approach to abstraction through carefully orchestrated gestures of color that seem to float and vibrate across the paper. The composition balances precise control with painterly spontaneity, as soft hues interact with areas of restraint, creating a visual rhythm that invites extended contemplation. The hand-pulled lithograph on Rives BFK paper, from an edition of one hundred, showcases the technical mastery Francis brought to the printmaking medium, where each impression carries its own subtle variations and nuances. This work represents a significant moment in Francis's career when his investigations into color relationships had reached a sophisticated maturity. The collaboration with Waldberg positioned the artist within a broader poetic and literary context, suggesting connections between visual abstraction and linguistic expression. The edition number 21 of 100 indicates this is a well-preserved example from the middle of the edition run, offering collectors access to a significant work from a major twentieth-century colorist at a thoughtful price point. For those drawn to abstraction that balances intellectual rigor with sensory immediacy, this lithograph provides a compelling entry into Francis's important body of work.

Medium
Sam Francis, Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel, (SF-313), 1986, Signed, Lithograph on Rives BFK, Edition 21/100, 38 1/2" x 30 3/4" Framed Size, 29 7/8" x 22" Sheet Size

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About this work

Sam Francis, Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel

This luminous lithograph emerges from a collaborative project between Sam Francis and French poet Michel Waldberg, capturing the artist's mature exploration of color and light as primary vehicles for expression. Created in 1986, the work demonstrates Francis's characteristic approach to abstraction through carefully orchestrated gestures of color that seem to float and vibrate across the paper. The composition balances precise control with painterly spontaneity, as soft hues interact with areas of restraint, creating a visual rhythm that invites extended contemplation. The hand-pulled lithograph on Rives BFK paper, from an edition of one hundred, showcases the technical mastery Francis brought to the printmaking medium, where each impression carries its own subtle variations and nuances. This work represents a significant moment in Francis's career when his investigations into color relationships had reached a sophisticated maturity. The collaboration with Waldberg positioned the artist within a broader poetic and literary context, suggesting connections between visual abstraction and linguistic expression. The edition number 21 of 100 indicates this is a well-preserved example from the middle of the edition run, offering collectors access to a significant work from a major twentieth-century colorist at a thoughtful price point. For those drawn to abstraction that balances intellectual rigor with sensory immediacy, this lithograph provides a compelling entry into Francis's important body of work.

Medium
Sam Francis, Untitled, from Michel Waldberg: Poemes dans le ciel, (SF-313), 1986, Signed, Lithograph on Rives BFK, Edition 21/100, 38 1/2" x 30 3/4" Framed Size, 29 7/8" x 22" Sheet Size
Seen at
Georgetown Frame Shoppe, Washington, D.C., United States

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Collected by

Alex Capecelatro, Sebastián In Situ, Hamilton Selway Gallery