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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
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

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

Self-Portrait

1982

Sam Francis

Associated Names

Sam Francis

Artist, American, 1923 - 1994

There are black blotches and irregular shapes on a white background, arranged in a way that suggests a human face on a small rectangular canvas. These dark ink splotches give the impression of eyes, a nose, and a mouth, creating an abstract expression. The arrangement allows viewers to see familiar elements like a facial structure emerging from the randomness within the frame.

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Artwork overview

Medium

sugarlift in black on Fabriano Tiepolo wove paper
Credit Line

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

plate: 15.7 x 8.6 cm (6 3/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
sheet: 48.6 x 33.5 cm (19 1/8 x 13 3/16 in.)
Accession Number

1991.234.47
Catalogue Raisonné

Lembark 1992, no. I20

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1992

Lembark, Connie W. The Prints of Sam Francis: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1960-1990, vol. 2. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1992, p. 28, no. I20.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: AP; lower center in graphite: Sam Francis; lower center verso in graphite by unknown hand: SFE 299

Markings

embossed: 3EP / LTD; embossed: IK [Ikuru Kuwahara]

Wikidata ID

Q75117676

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