This innovative and long-awaited catalogue raisonne brings together, for the first time, all the known paintings on canvas and panel of California-born abstract expressionist Sam Francis (1923-1994) and offers a comprehensive chronicle of his artistic journey. One of the twentieth century's leading interpreters of light and color, Francis maintained studios not only in New York and Los Angeles, but also in Paris, Bern, and Tokyo, making his reach truly international. Elegantly boxed, "The Sam Francis catalogue raisonne" includes a richly illustrated book with informative texts and two DVDs with authoritative entries for the canvas and panel paintings in an easily browsable, groundbreaking format. It offers the ultimate reference on this artist and a vital research tool. This title features color images and documentation for all 1,850-plus paintings on canvas and panel by Francis (hundreds reproduced for the first time) on two DVDs. This is a lavish book with an extended essay by Francis scholar William C. Agee and a biographical timeline by catalogue raisonne editor Debra Burchett-Lere. This title includes: a rare footage of Francis at work, writings by the artist, and descriptions of his studios and techniques; access to electronic updates as they become available; and, easily searchable information in a groundbreaking, twenty-first-century format.

American artist Sam Francis (1923-1994) brought vivid colour and emotional intensity to Abstract Expressionism. He was described as the "most sensuous and sensitive painter of his generation" by former Guggenheim Museum director James Johnson Sweeney, and curator Howard Fox called him "one of the acknowledged masters of late-modern art." Francis's works, whether intimate or monumental in scale, make indelible impressions; the intention of the artist was to make them felt as much as seen. At the age of twenty, Francis was hospitalised for spinal tuberculosis and spent three years virtually immobilised in a body cast. For physical therapy he was given a set of watercolours, and, as he described it, he painted his way back to life. The exuberant colour and expression in his paintings celebrated his survival; his five-decade career was an energetic visual and theoretical exploration that took him around the world. Francis' idiosyncratic painting practices have long been the subject of speculation and debate among conservators and art historians. Presented here for the first time in this volume are the results of an in-depth scientific study of more than forty paintings from the late 1940s to early 1990s, which reveal new discoveries about his creative process, inventive techniques, and specially formulated paints and binders. The data provides a key to the complicated evolution of the artist's work and informs original art historical interpretations.