Condensed exhibition history of Sam Francis

compiled by Debra Burchett-Lere

1923
• Born June 25, San Mateo, California.

1949
• B.A., University of California at Berkeley.

1950
• M.A. University of California at Berkeley.

1946-50
• Began painting in San Francisco, California.

1950-58
• Lived and worked in Paris, France with travels to Mexico, Japan, and Europe.

1952
• Solo gallery shows at Galerie Nina Dausset, Paris; Galerie du Dragon, Paris.

1955
• Solo show at Galerie Rive Droite, Paris.

1956
• "12 Americans" group show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.
• Solo gallery shows at Galerie Rive Droite, Paris; Martha Jackson Gallery, New York City.

1957
• Completed mural for the Sogetsu School of the sculptor and flower arranger, Sofu Teshigahara, in Tokyo, Japan.
• Solo show at Gimpel Fils, Ltd, London, England.

1952-58
• Solo shows at Gimpel Fils Ltd., London; Kornfeld and Klipstein, Bern, Switzerland; Martha Jackson Gallery, New York City.

1959
• Lived in New York City; worked on the Chase Manhattan Bank mural.
• Solo museum show at Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California that traveled to San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco ; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington.

1959-61
• Lived in Bern. Solo museum show at Kunsthalle, Bern that traveled to Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.

1961
• Moved to Santa Monica, California, which became permanent home base.
• Solo show at Esther Bear Gallery, Santa Barbara, California.

1961-64
• Solo shows at Minami Gallery, Tokyo; Kornfeld and Klipstein, Bern; Galerie Benador, Zurich, Switzerland.
• Major exhibition at Documenta III, Kassel, Germany.

1966
• Sky painting performance in Japan over Tokyo Bay.

1967
• Snow painting performance in Naibara, Japan.
• Solo show at Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York City.
• Retrospective museum show at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas that traveled to University Art
Museum, Berkeley; San Francisco Museum of Art.

1968
• Receives Honorary Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
• Solo shows at Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Paris; Kunsthalle, Basel.
• Solo exhibit at Minami Gallery, Tokyo.

1969-71
• Painted and installed commissioned mural for the National Gallery of Art, West Berlin, Germany.
• Solo museum show at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
• Also exhibited at Martha Jackson Gallery, New York City; Felix Landau Gallery, Los Angeles.

1970
• Established the Litho Shop in Santa Monica to print and publish his own lithographs.

1969-72
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York City; Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles.

1972
• Retrospective solo museum show at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, that traveled to Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City; Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Texas; Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California.
• Exhibit at the Stanford University Museum of Art, Palo Alto, California.

1973-74
• Lived and painted primarily in Tokyo.

1974
• Exhibition at the Idemitsu Art Museum, Tokyo.
• Solo show at Minami Gallery, Tokyo. Incorporated the Litho Shop.

1975-77
• Solo exhibitions at Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, Illinois; Kornfeld and Klipstein, Bern; Smith-Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California.
Began collaboration with Garner Tullis on monotypes.
Paintings in group exhibition "Art in Progress" at the Louisiana Museum of Art at Humlebaek, Denmark
that traveled to Centre Pompidou, Paris; Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm.

1978
• Solo shows at Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles; Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles.

1979
• Retrospective exhibition of works on paper at Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts, that traveled to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Manila, Korea, and Japan under the U.S. International communication Agency.
Included in "Art in Progress" exhibition at Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.
Solo shows at Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Brooke Alexander, Inc., New York.

1980
• Exhibition at Abbaye de Senanque, Gordes, France; “Monotypes," Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Solo exhibitions at Riko Mizuno Gallery, Los Angeles; James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles; and Smith-Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto.
Mural commissions at Weinstocks Department Store, Sacramento, and General Services Administration building in Anchorage, Alaska.
Becomes part of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

1981
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Ace Gallery, Los Angeles; Ruth Schaffner Gallery, Santa Barbara; Faith and Charity in Hope Gallery, Idaho.
Established temporary painting studio in San Leandro, California to complete the San Francisco Museum of Art Mural commission.1982
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo; and monotype exhibition at Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago.1983
• Completed the San Francisco Airport Mural.
Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Galerie Kornfeld, Bern; Smith-Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto; Fondation Maeght, St.Paul, France; Studio Marconi, Milan, Italy; Colorado State University, Colorado (monotypes); Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Art Attack Gallery, Idaho; John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco; Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo and a travelling survey of works on paper through the Art Museum Association of America.

1984
• Established Lapis Press to publish artists’ books.
Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, Santa Barbara; Brooke Alexander, Inc., New York; Cantor/Lemberg Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan and Robert Elkon Gallery, New York; Thomas Babeor Gallery, La Jolla, California; Knoedler Gallery, London; Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles; Steven Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco.

1985
• Solo exhibitions at Galerie Kornfeld, Bern; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo; Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago; Smith-Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto; Hokin Gallery, Bay Harbor Isle, Florida.
• Completed mural for the San Francisco Museum of Art.

1986
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo; Angles Gallery, Santa Monica; Le Maire de Paris, France.
• Received commission to paint mural for ceiling of the Opera National, Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels.

1987
• Solo exhibitions at Knoedler Gallery, London; André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, Santa Barbara; Heland Thorden Wetterling Galleries, Stockholm; G.Dalsheimer Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland; Galeria Eude, Barcelona Spain; Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles; Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany; Lever/Meyerson Galleries, New York.

1988
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo; Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto; Greenberg Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri; Galerie Seoul, Korea.
• Sam Francis Exhibition traveled throughout Japan, April 1988-March 1989 to: Toyama Museum, 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 André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London; Sun Valley Center Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho; Linda Farris Gallery, Seattle, WA; Cantor/Lemberg Gallery, Birmingham; Knoedler Gallery, London.

1990
• Solo shows at Associated American Artists, New York (prints); Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Heland Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm; Ogawa Art Foundation, Tokyo (monotypes); Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho; Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland; Andre' Emmerich Gallery, New York; Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto (prints).

1991
• Forty year retrospective at Galerie Kornfeld, Bern.
• Solo shows at Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles; Angles Gallery, Los Angeles; Associated American Artists, New York (prints); Gagosian Gallery, New York; Centre Regional d'Art Contemporain Midi-Pyrenees, Toulouse-Labege, France.

1992
• Galerie Daniel Papierski, Paris; Museum van der Togt, Amsterdam; Kukje Gallery, Seoul.

1993
• Retrospective museum exhibition at the Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutchland, Bonn, Germany, curated by Pontus Hulten.
• Solo shows at Galerie Pudelko, Bonn; Bobbie Greenfield Fine Art, Venice, California; Michele Cohen Gallery, New York; Ochi Gallery, Ketchum; Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles; Galerie Iris Wazzau, Davos, Switzerland.
• Commission for new German Parliament Building, Bonn.
• Major donation of ten paintings to The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles.

1994
• Solo shows at Long Fine Art, New York; Galerie Delaive, Amsterdam; Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Venice, CA; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris, France; Galerie Proarta, Zurich; Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York; Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo; Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago.
• University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley honored Francis with Distinguished Alumnus Award and announced Scholarship Award in Francis’ name.
• Daco Verlag Günter Bläse, Stuttgart, Germany published major monograph on monotypes.
• November 4, 1994, Sam Francis passed away in Santa Monica.

1995
• "The Last Paintings of Sam Francis," 152 small paintings (painted June through August 1994, at his Santa Monica house studio) exhibited at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles
• Solo museum exhibitions at Grunwald/UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Kunstverein Ludwigsberg, Germany.
• "Les annees Parisiennes - 1950-1961," at the Jeu de Paume, Paris reunited the three Basel Mural panels.

1996
• Solo shows at Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto; Sogetsu Art Museum, Tokyo; Gallery Delaive,
Amsterdam; Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, California; Gallery Guy Pieters, Knokke, Belgium; Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin; Galerie Proarta, Zurich.

1997
• "Sam Francis: The Archetypal Image," opened at the Frederick M. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California and traveled to The Fundacion Caja de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
• Solo shows at André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles; Musee d'Arte, Mendrisio, Switzerland; Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago; Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam; Galerie Retelet, St. Paul de Vence, France.

1998
• Solo monotype shows at Dorothy Blau Gallery, Bay Harbor Island; Thomas Segal Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
• Solo shows at ACA Gallery, Münich, Germany; Gallery Guy Pieters, Knokke, Belgium; Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Santa Monica; Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam; Galleria d’Arte il Gabbiano, Rome, Italy.

1999
• Solo shows at Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Los Angeles (prints); Robert Green Fine Arts, Mill Valley, California; Galleri Faurschou, Copenhagen, Denmark; Ikon, Ltd., Los Angeles; Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles; Galerie Pascal Retelet, Saint Paul de Vence, France; Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris; Baukunst Galerie, Cologne; Pace Editions, New York (prints); Galerie Loeper, Hamburg, Germany.

1999-2001
• Major retrospective exhibit “Sam Francis: Paintings 1947-1990,” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles curated by William C. Agee. Traveled through 2001 to: the Menil Collection, Houston, Texas; Konsthall Malmö, Malmö, Sweden; the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain; Galleria Communale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome, Italy.

2000
• Solo shows at Galleri GKM Siwert Bergström, Malmö; Bruk Kahan Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida; Richard Gray Gallery, New York and Chicago; Rayuela Galeria De Arte, Madrid; Ikon Ltd., Santa Monica; Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam; Lawrence Rubin Greenberg Van Doren Fine Art, New York; Galleria il Gabbiano, Rome.
• Solo museum shows at Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri; Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Osaka and Tokyo.

2001
• Sam Francis Estate offices/gallery/print studio move to new location at 5440 McConnell Ave., Los Angeles.
• Solo shows at Meyerovich Gallery, San Francisco; Baukunst Galerie, Cologne, Germany; Galerie Guy Pieters, Saint-Paul, France; Alan Cristea Gallery, London; Galerie Proarta, Zurich; Brian Gross Gallery, San Francisco; Lawing Gallery, Houston; Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam.

2002
• Solo shows at Galerie Andreas Baumgartl, München, Germany ; Lovers of Fine Arts Ltd., Gstaad, Switzerland.

2002-2003
• Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo organizes major Sam Francis exhibition from their collection that travels to six museums in Japan through 2003 (The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama; Kawamura Memorial Museum, Chiba; The Museum of Art, Ehime; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima; Oita Art Museum, Oita.
• Solo show at Galerie Iris Wazzau, Davos, Switzerland.

2003
• Solo shows at Ace Gallery, Beverly Hills, California; Artemis Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, New York, NY; Galerie Guy Pieters, Saint Paul de Vence (France).
• Solo show at Robert Sandelson Gallery, London, UK
• Solo show at Broadbent Gallery, London, UK

2003-2004
• Solo show Prototypes at Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2004
• Solo show at Baukunst Galerie, Cologne, Germany
• Solo show at Galleri GKM Siwert Bergström, Malmö, Sweden
• Solo show at Galerie Thomas, München , Germany
• Solo show at Alanda Arte Contemporanea, Carrara, Italy
• Solo show at Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie, Bielefeld, Germany
• Solo show at Galerie Proarta, Zurich, Switzerland
• Solo show at Venice Design Art Gallery, Venice, Italy
• Solo show at Martin Lawrence Galleries, San Francisco, California, USA
• Solo show at Museum Jan van der Togt, Amstelveen, Netherlands
• Solo show at Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2005
• Solo show at Gallery Wild, Frankfurt, Germany
• Solo show at Robert Sandelson Gallery, London, UK
• Solo show at Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Solo show at, Kaare Berntsen, Oslo, Norway.
• Movimento Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy.
• Solo show at Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2006
• Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland.
• Galerie Flintholm, Verster Skerninge, Denmark.
• Robert Green Gallery, Mill Valley, California.

2007
• Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris.
• LC Galerie, Paris.

2008
• Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles.
• Galerie Proarta, Zurich.
• Galleria San Carlo, Milan.
• Galleria Repetto, Acqui-Termi.

2009
• College of the Canyons Art Gallery, Santa Clarita, California.
• American Contemporary Art Gallery, Munich.
• Smith Andersen North, San Rafael, California.
• Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Los Angeles.
• Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie, Bielefeld, Germany.
• L&M Arts, New York.
• Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London.
• Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam.
• Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke, Belgium.

2010
• Galerie Proarta, Zurich.
• Helly Nahmad Gallery, New York.
• Danubiana Art Museum, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
• Coskun Fine Art, London.
• Galerie Koch, Hannover, Germany.

2011
• Galerie Jean Fournier, Paris.
• Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam.
• Galerie Thomas Modern, Munich.
• Page Gallery, Seoul.
• Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York.
• Nantenchi Gallery, Tokijo
• Galerie Kornfeld, Bern
• Robert Green Fine Arts, Mill Valley

2012
• PST, Berlin.
• Martin Lawrence Galleries, New York.
• Museum of Art, Santa Barbara.
• Iris Wazzau, Davos
• Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam.

Sam Francis Biography compiled by Debra Burchett-Lere (Assistance and prior research by Nancy Mozur and Beth Silverman)
Sam Francis biography, copyright by the Samuel L. Francis Art Museum, Inc.
(AKA Samuel L. Francis Foundation or Sam Francis Foundation, CA) 2005