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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Self-Portrait

1973

Sam Francis

Associated Names

Sam Francis

Artist, American, 1923 - 1994

The image displays irregular swirling shapes and lines in black and white, creating an abstract composition. Some elements resemble a distorted human face, including eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The features merge and flow together, resembling liquid ink or smoke patterns. The overall impression is of a face emerging from a chaotic blend, similar to seeing a face through frosted glass or a reflection on rippling water.

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Artwork overview

Medium

lithograph in black on wove paper
Credit Line

Gift of Sam Francis, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

sheet: 83.7 x 63.5 cm (32 15/16 x 25 in.)
Accession Number

1991.234.14
Catalogue Raisonné

Lembark 1992, no. A15

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1992

Lembark, Connie W. The Prints of Sam Francis: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1960-1990, vol. 1. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1992, p. 399, no. A15.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: 5/5; lower right in graphite: Sam Francis; upper center verso in graphite by unknown hand: SF 015

Wikidata ID

Q75117518

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