Post War and Contemporary Art

This work is registered with the Sam Francis Foundation as archive number SF63-350

Provenance:

Martin Lawrence Galleries, Las Vegas

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2011

Exhibited:

Pasadena, California, Pasadena Art Museum, The Pasadena Suite, December 1966–January 1967.

Lot Note (from the Sam Francis Foundation):

SF63-350 is one of the original artworks included as part of the complete ”Pasadena Box Suite” (created from 1963 to 1965). The project includes 100 signed and numbered specially designed acrylic boxes that house a suite of 8 color lithographs (printed on Rives BFK paper), 1 color lithograph (printed on Shirikawa rice paper) mounted on a hanging scroll, 3 color lithographs (printed on Kochi rice paper) mounted on a folding screen, and an original acrylic and/or gouache painting (on post card) framed in Plexiglas. Francis created these boxes specifically for the Art Alliance of the Pasadena Art Museum, California in collaboration with master printers in the US and Japan. The lithographs were printed on Rives BFK papers in Los Angeles by Joseph Zirker at Joseph Press; by Kenneth Tyler and Jim Webb at Gemini G.E.L.; and in Tokyo by Koyama at Japanese Art Association. Most of the unique artworks were painted in Tokyo on a Japanese post card with the logo stamp: TRADEMARK APOLLO. The original suite includes a colophon page with a statement by the artist.

When released in 1966, the complete “Pasadena Box” suite (set) was offered for sale at $ 1,900 in support of the museum. Over the years many of the complete sets have been separated with the prints and unique artworks sold separately, as evident in this entry.