Explore the Era

Delve into the postwar Los Angeles art world in this online archive, which provides additional material related to the exhibitions on view at the Getty Center. Learn about hipsters and happenings, and the venues across the city where all the action took place through images from the archives and first-hand accounts with the artists.

Sam Francis Studio

After leaving his former space to Richard Diebenkorn in the mid-1960s, Sam Francis had his studio in this location in Santa Monica, where he worked on his series of edge paintings.

Historic Map Locations

Explore the Archive

  • Video: Excerpt from the film 'The Painter Sam Francis'

    Video: Excerpt from the film The Painter Sam Francis, produced and directed by Jeffrey Perkins. ©2008 Body and Soul Productions, All Rights Reserved

  • Sam Francis in his studio

    Sam Francis in his studio on West Channel Road in Santa Monica, California, 1968. Photo by Frank J. Thomas. Image courtesy of the Sam Francis Foundation, California