Light on Fire: The Art and Life of Sam Francis Hardcover - 2021

"Drawing on her wide-ranging research, insightful observations, and lucid prose, Selz illuminates the feverish life of a survivor, art world misfit, and master of color and light. Her book offers new insights into the origins of Sam Francis's dazzling art. It's a page-turner and a revelation."--Patricia Albers, author of Joan Mitchell, Lady Painter: A Life

"Gabrielle Selz's Light on Fire is a deeply researched and engaging biography of a twentieth-century artist whose luminous paintings once commanded the highest prices in the world. With a personal life (he had five wives) as dramatic as the oversized abstract images he exhibited around the globe, Sam Francis redefined what it meant to be an artist in the post-World War II era. Selz's page-turning book should bring long-overdue attention to a man with enormous talent, appetites, and zest for life."--Frances Dinkelspiel, author of Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California

"Sam Francis was an important and influential painter, which is enough, but his influence on art and the art world went far beyond his canvases. This richly written book understands that, and unfolds like an ideas-driven novel that brings verve and authority to its examination of Francis's art and life."--Tyler Green, author of Carleton Watkins: Making the West American

"A balanced, fascinating, and at times suspenseful account of a complicated man. Discreet and thoughtful, the author has nonetheless pulled back the curtain on this lion of the twentieth century. I couldn't put it down."--Anastasia Aukeman, author of Welcome to Painterland: Bruce Conner and the Rat Bastard Protective Association

"A fascinating, meticulously researched account of an elusive and enthralling artist. A sheer delight to read."--Julia Flynn Siler, best-selling author of The House of Mondavi, Lost Kingdom, and The White Devil's Daughters