100 Original Works of the American Artist Sam Francis Exhibited in Slovakia in the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum From June 19 Until August 29, 2010.

This Retrospective is the Biggest Sam Francis Exhibition in Europe Since 1995, Made Possible by two European Private Collectors.

AMSTERDAM, April 26, 2010 - Sam Francis (1923-1994) was a citizen of the world who lived for art.
American by birth, he spent a large part of his life in Paris, Tokyo and New
York and had painting studios around the world until his death. Some of his
paintings have been partly created in Paris, worked on in New York, and
finally completed in Tokyo. With this cosmopolitan attitude to life Sam
Francis evolved his unique own style.

The painting career of Francis embraces some fifty years of art history.
Sam Francis was averse to all trends. He consciously and obstinately ignored
these trends in order to follow his own personal path. Creativity and
tireless dedication to his work resulted in a diverse expressive heritage of
paintings, drawings, graphics and sculptures. His paintings 'the Big Orange'
and 'Round the World' can be seen as true icons of our time. Martha Jackson,
an art dealer in the 1950's in New York, wrote in a letter to Sam Francis in
1954;" And what do I think of you? Only that you are one of the great
painters of our time." Time magazine reviewed Sam Francis in 1956 as; "The
hottest American painter in Paris these days." Francis was taken under the
wings of New Yorker art dealer Martha Jackson in the year 1956. The support
and devotion of Jackson towards the artistic career of Sam Francis resulted
into the 'Twelve Americans' Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in NY and
later 'The New American Painting' where 17 artists, including Jackson Pollock
and Mark Rothko, demonstrated the artistic freedom of expressive artists.
This exhibition toured Europe in 1958. Francis was now seen as one of the new
promising American artists. Francis lived in Paris for eight years from where
he started his first trip around the world in 1957; a second tour du monde
followed in 1959. Francis loved traveling. The first time he arrived in Japan
he immediately felt at home; this feeling brought him back to Japan many
times. The Japanese lifestyle and culture played a big role in his personal
life and work. Francis spent the majority of his time in California. Francis
said; "Los Angeles is the best for light in my work. New York light is hard.
Paris light is beautiful cerulean gray. But Los Angeles light is clear and
bright even in haze."

www.danubiana.eu

This exhibition has been made possible by:

Collection Gerard Meulensteen, Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum,
Bratislava, Slovakia.

www.gallerydelaive.com

www.samfrancisfoundation.com

For more information and color images please contact: Vincent Polakovic at the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava,
Slovakia. Phone: +421-2-62528501, Mobile:+421-903605505, danubiana at danubiana.sk, Private collection Nico Delaive, Amsterdam, info at delaive.com, Debra Burchett-Lere, Director of the Sam Francis Foundation, LA., info at samfrancisfoundation.org