- 118
SAM FRANCIS | Middle Blue
Estimate
350,000 - 500,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Sam Francis
- Middle Blue
- signed and dated 1957 on the reverse
- gouache, watercolor and acrylic on paper
- 26 5/8 by 40 in. 67.6 by 101.6 cm.
Provenance
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Collection of Robert B. Mayer, New York (acquired from the above in September 1964)
Christie's, New York, Contemporary Art from the Robert B. Mayer Collection, 7 November 1989, Lot 1
Private Collection (acquired from the above sale)
André Emmerich Gallery, New York (acquired in April 1990)
Private Collection, Los Angeles (acquired in February 1992)
Mittendorf Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Private Collection, New York
Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, St. Louis
L&M Arts, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in February 2010
Collection of Robert B. Mayer, New York (acquired from the above in September 1964)
Christie's, New York, Contemporary Art from the Robert B. Mayer Collection, 7 November 1989, Lot 1
Private Collection (acquired from the above sale)
André Emmerich Gallery, New York (acquired in April 1990)
Private Collection, Los Angeles (acquired in February 1992)
Mittendorf Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Private Collection, New York
Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, St. Louis
L&M Arts, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in February 2010
Exhibited
New York, André Emmerich Gallery, Sam Francis: Paintings on Paper, 1956-64, October - November 1990, n.p., illustrated in color
New York, L&M Arts, Sam Francis: 1953-1959, October - January 2010, cat. no. 9, p. 42, illustrated in color
New York, L&M Arts, Sam Francis: 1953-1959, October - January 2010, cat. no. 9, p. 42, illustrated in color
Literature
Karen Thomson, Ed., The Blema and H. Arnold Steinberg Collection, Montreal 2015, cat. no. 29, p. 36, illustrated in color and illustrated in color on the cover
Condition
This work is very good condition overall. There is light evidence of handling along the edges of the sheet, which have lightly discolored with age. The edges of the sheet are deckled. There is a slight undulation to the sheet, inherent to the artist’s working method, and some wrinkling to the right edge of the sheet. The colors are bright and fresh. The sheet is hinged verso to the mat intermittently along the edges. Framed under Plexiglas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
"The floating, the falling (helped by rivulets of color allowed to drop down), the gratuitous meetings in space, the junctures and coincidences which Francis is best equipped to express are endowed with a magic in watercolors that the oils do not possess."
Dore Ashton in Peter Selz, Sam Francis, New York 1975, p. 73
This work is identified with the interim identification number of SF57-249 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Unique Works on Paper. This information is subject to change as scholarship continues by the Sam Francis Foundation.
Dore Ashton in Peter Selz, Sam Francis, New York 1975, p. 73
This work is identified with the interim identification number of SF57-249 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Unique Works on Paper. This information is subject to change as scholarship continues by the Sam Francis Foundation.