After he had studied painting under Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still from 1948 to 1950, Sam Francis moved to Paris in order to attend the 'Académie Léger'. In 1952 he had his first solo exhibition in Paris, where he met artists of the French Art informel. His pictures were shown in exhibitions in Paris, London and Berne. The 1956 exhibition 'Twelve Americans' at the New York Museum of Modern Art made Sam Francis famous in the US. During this time he underwent a stylistic change from saturated fields of color compositions in monochrome shades to colorful 'color islands' on white canvas. His unique calligraphic style of applying paint and the lyrical character of the liquid paint linked Francis to the Oriental art he studied. During a round-the-world trip in 1957 the artist visited India, Thailand, Japan and other countries. Francis' works were shown at exhibitions in Tokyo and Osaka. Sam Francis lead a restless life moving between his Paris home and other metropoles. In 1962 he moved back to Califonia, where he initially had a studio in Santa Barbara, before he moved it to Venice in 1963. During the 1960s the painter developed a very personal form of spontaneous and gestural dripping. The artist used circular, spraying movements above the canvas to apply oil, acrylic and water colors. During the 1970s Francis covered the picture with web-like structures in his 'grid pictures'. Sam Francis was one of the leading exponents of 'Action Painting', but he also explored other techniques including lithography, etching and monotype. In the early 1980s his study of printmaking lead to attractive experimental works. His paintings of this period are marked by expressive picture compositions in several parts, some of which contain running paint. His last creative period was marked by large commissions for murals. Sam Francis died on November 4, 1994 in Santa Monica.