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Sam Francis: career timeline

American · 1923–1994 · Works grouped by the decade they were made (the cataloged date, or a date in the signature or title), not by sale date. 1,260 of 1,411 lots (89% of works) have a usable creation date; the others are listed at the end by the decade they were sold. Each work is shown once, even when it sold more than once.

Sam Francis: works at auction by decade the work was made. Each work counted once; medians use sold works only, in US dollars.
Decade madeWorksSoldMedian sold priceMain medium
1940s31$35kSign upOil
1950s6956$42.1kSign upWatercolor
1960s314279$3.5kSign upLithograph
1970s413331$4.4kSign upLithograph
1980s299267$6.1kSign upLithograph
1990s145131$6kSign upLithograph

Where does mine fit?

Enter what you know about a work by Sam Francis to see the closest recorded works from the same period, with their auction results. These are past records only, not a valuation: condition, authenticity, provenance and the market all change what a work brings. For an auction estimate of your work, get a free auction estimate.

1940s 3 works

Sold
1 of 3
Median
$35kSign up
Average
$35kSign up
Typical size
25 × 27 in (64 × 69 cm)
Mediums
Oil (2), Watercolor (1)
Subjects
—

1950s 69 works

Sold
56 of 69
Median
$42.1kSign up
Average
$147kSign up
Typical size
17 × 14 in (44 × 36 cm)
Mediums
Watercolor (32), Gouache (17), Drawing (6)
Subjects
Abstract (4)
Show 12 more (1950s)

…and 45 more works from this group in the full results list.

1960s 314 works

Sold
279 of 314
Median
$3.5kSign up
Average
$18.4kSign up
Typical size
24.5 × 25 in (62 × 63 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (212), Acrylic (53), Gouache (15)
Subjects
Boats (11), Abstract (1)
Show 12 more (1960s)

…and 290 more works from this group in the full results list.

1970s 413 works

Sold
331 of 413
Median
$4.4kSign up
Average
$16.1kSign up
Typical size
25.5 × 24 in (65 × 61 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (207), Acrylic (93), Other (37)
Subjects
Figures & portraits (26), Landscapes (8), Abstract (2)
Show 12 more (1970s)

…and 389 more works from this group in the full results list.

1980s 299 works

Sold
267 of 299
Median
$6.1kSign up
Average
$22.1kSign up
Typical size
30 × 25 in (76 × 63 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (95), Acrylic (78), Aquatint (41)
Subjects
Figures & portraits (6), Sunsets & night (1)
Show 12 more (1980s)

…and 275 more works from this group in the full results list.

1990s 145 works

Sold
131 of 145
Median
$6kSign up
Average
$21.7kSign up
Typical size
30 × 25 in (76 × 64 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (47), Etching (30), Acrylic (27)
Subjects
Figures & portraits (1), Sunsets & night (1)
Show 12 more (1990s)

…and 121 more works from this group in the full results list.

Creation date not recorded

149 works have no cataloged or signed date. They are grouped here by the decade they were last sold, which says nothing about when they were made.

Undated, sold in the 2000s 27 works

Sold
24 of 27
Median
$5.6kSign up
Average
$20.4kSign up
Typical size
24 × 19.5 in (61 × 49 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (12), Acrylic (6), Gouache (3)
Subjects
—
Show 6 more (2000s)

…and 15 more works from this group in the full results list.

Undated, sold in the 2010s 59 works

Sold
53 of 59
Median
$3.1kSign up
Average
$66.1kSign up
Typical size
27 × 24.5 in (69 × 62 cm)
Mediums
Other (42), Lithograph (10), Acrylic (3)
Subjects
Boats (2), Sea & coast (1), Abstract (1)
Show 6 more (2010s)

…and 47 more works from this group in the full results list.

Undated, sold in the 2020s 63 works

Sold
47 of 63
Median
$3.5kSign up
Average
$6kSign up
Typical size
22 × 22 in (57 × 56 cm)
Mediums
Other (27), Lithograph (17), Etching (5)
Subjects
Sunsets & night (1), Abstract (1), Boats (1)
Show 6 more (2020s)

…and 51 more works from this group in the full results list.

Medians and averages count sold works only (each work's most recent sale), in US dollars at the sale-date rate. Works cataloged as “attributed to”, “circle of” or similar are left out. All Sam Francis auction results →