Red No. 2

Sam Francis’s "Red No. 2" is a vibrant example of his early abstract work, painted during a pivotal period in the mid-1950s when he was living in Paris. This painting, created in 1954, showcases the artist's burgeoning interest in expressive color and fluid forms, influenced by the Abstract Expressionists he admired, such as Jackson Pollock, and by French modern painting. During this decade, Francis began to gain international recognition, with his work evolving through stages that included richly colored murals and "open" paintings featuring significant areas of white. While he was often associated with Tachisme in Paris, Francis never neatly fit into any single art movement, instead forging a unique path as one of the first truly global artists. "Red No. 2" with its bold hues and dynamic composition, reflects the energy and innovation that would define his career and contribute to securing international recognition for postwar American painting.