© Sam Francis, Untitled, 1990, Point Reyes Station, 64x95.5cm, Acrylic on paper, Sam Francis Foundation, California, c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2023

Extended until 18 June

To mark the centenary of the birth of Sam Francis (1923-1994), Museum JAN pays tribute to this American painter. The exhibition Homage to Sam Francis features a selection of Francis' work from our own collection, complemented by special loans from art collector and Francis enthusiast Nico Delaive. Francis is often associated with abstract expressionism, a post-war American painting movement, but developed a style of his own after his introduction to European and Oriental (modern) art. Francis became known for his paintings featuring expressive colours in a 'controlled chaos' of spots, drops, lines and strokes.

Sam Francis (1923-1994, California, USA)

Sam Francis started drawing and painting as a therapeutic activity: after an accident, he was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis that left him confined to his bed for years. He received private lessons from David Park (1911-1960), a lecturer at the California School of Fine Arts and an artist himself. Park introduced Francis to the work of abstract expressionists such as Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and Clyfford Still (1904-1980). Francis graduated from art school in 1950 after which he left for Paris to see European art. This is where Francis' interest in light and colour was stimulated by the impressionist works of artists like Monet. He experimented with different styles and was also inspired by Chinese and Japanese art. He eventually developed his own expressionist style with dripped, organic shapes and a focus on light and colour. His work was exhibited all over the world.

100 years of Sam Francis | 80 years of Jan Verschoor

Collector and founder of Museum JAN, Jan van der Togt (1905-1995), was a great admirer of Sam Francis' colourful canvases. He assembled one of Europe's largest collections of paintings by Francis. He liked to combine these paintings with his collection of glass art in which he recognised a similar interaction of light, colour and transparency.

In addition to Francis' work, sculptures by artist and co-founder of this museum, Jan Verschoor (1943), who will be celebrating his 80th birthday this year, are displayed in the exhibition space. His graceful sculptures engage in a dialogue with Francis' explosive and overwhelming paintings.