LACMA
April 9 – July 16, 2023
LACMA presents and exhibition of work by American artist Sam Francis (1923–1994) together with pieces by contemporaneous Japanese artists. In the work of Sam Francis Western and Eastern aesthetics engage in a profound intercultural dialogue. Francis first traveled to Japan in 1957, developing a lifelong affinity for Japanese art and culture that profoundly influenced his work. His expressive handling of negative space shared pictorial and philosophical affinities with aspects of East Asian aesthetics, particularly the Japanese concept of ma, the dynamic between form and non-form.
Francis’s time in Japan was marked by his deep immersion in local artistic communities and movements. He connected with members of the Gutai and Mono-Ha groups, whose experimental approaches to materials and space resonated with his own artistic sensibilities. The influence of traditional Japanese art, as well as contemporary practices, can be seen in his innovative use of color and space, creating a unique fusion of Western abstraction and Eastern philosophy.
With over 60 works from LACMA’s collection and key lenders, this is the first exhibition to explore the artist’s work in relation to ma and other aspects of Japanese aesthetics. It will include works by Francis in the company of historic Japanese works to illustrate stylistic priorities shared by both. Also on view are works of contemporary Japanese artists (many associated with Gutai and Mono-Ha) whom Francis knew from his extensive time in Japan in the 1960s and ’70s.
The exhibition will be on view from April 9 – July 16, 2023
