Painter and printmaker known for works such as "Black and Red" and "Symphony in Blue." He posthumously set a record in 2010 when his 1957 painting, "Middle Blue," sold for $6,354,500 at an auction.
He studied psychology, botany, and Medicine at the University of California, Berkeley, and also served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II.
He was the subject of a 2010 documentary film "The Painter Sam Francis" by Artist and filmmaker Jeffrey Perkins.
His mother encouraged his interest in the arts, and her death in 1935 greatly impacted him. He was married five times and fathered four children.
He was influenced by the work of abstract Painter Mark Rothko.
