Frank Sampson Painting "They Sailed Away ..." (2002)

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Exceptional Finds | Ancient, Ethno, Fine Art

By Artemis Fine Arts

Mar 20, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-03-20 10:00:00 2025-03-20 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Finds | Ancient, Ethno, Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-finds-ancient-ethno-fine-art-18151
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• Lot Description
  Frank Sampson (American, b. 1928). "They Sailed Away for a Year and a Day" acrylic on canvas, 2002. Artist's name, title, medium, and date handwritten on verso. Monumental in scale, this painting depicts a magical scene featuring enchanting old world characters sailing in the deep blue sea beneath the golden glow of sunlight or moonlight. A harlequin dressed in traditional costume is the oarsman, and his passengers include three mysterious men donning robes and turbans accompanied by a basket of goodies and a fish, along with an adorable dog wagging its tongue. As Tom Carter stated in the gallery guide for "Frank Sampson: Art of Magical and Mysterious Fantasy" at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art "The subject matter of Frank Sampson’s works, while easily recognizable, resist easy explanation. He prefers that we abandon the search for meaning in his paintings, encouraging us instead to lose ourselves in his visually complex and richly colored canvases. In his works, flora, fauna, and people live in harmonious yet puzzling, enchanting, and sometimes disquieting environments in truly magical and mysterious fantasy worlds." Size (painting): 60.125" L x 52" W (152.7 cm x 132.1 cm) Size (frame): 61.125" L x 53.125" W (155.3 cm x 134.9 cm)
  
  Artist's Statement: " In looking for past experiences and antecedents that may have influenced my work as an artist I think immediately of my childhood on a farm in North Dakota surrounded by pigs, chickens, horses and cows as well as a story-telling mother who entertained and rewarded her five sons with vivid adventure stories. These wonderful tales were full of fantasy and frequently animals played major roles.
  
  My formal training as an artist began when I entered college. I loved the world of the university and the art department itself with its artist-teachers and 'would-be artist' students. Besides the studio classes I enjoyed the art history classes which the academic environment provided. In my years of graduate work at the University of Iowa, I was particularly fond of the classes with Mauricio Lasansky and his world of Intaglio Printmaking. The graphic qualities of the etching media continue to influence my work even today though I am working primarily with the media of paint.
  
  Following my graduate work I lived in Belgium for eighteen months working as an artist in the wonderful world of Flanders, the Museums with Breugel and Ensor and a lovely studio for my own work. On my return to the states I reentered the world of academia with my teaching position at the University of Colorado Boulder. This work usually seemed complimentary to my own pursuits as an artist. The school provided a community of other artists and an environment of art geared to the historian and the traditional as well as the contemporary scene with an active program of visiting artists.
  
  My experience as an artist is so entwined with my experience of life itself that it is difficult to analyze it and evaluate critically the particular periods. The energy and enthusiasm of youth versus the maturity and wisdom that may come with age: Both have produced some greater and some lesser works. Perhaps the fact that the sought-after masterpiece seems to lie just ahead is a healthy propellant for the continual search." (source: Sandra Phillips Gallery website)
  
  About the Artist: "J. Frank Sampson was inspired to go into art because his mother Mabel Elizabeth, would make up incredible stories filled with animals and fantasy that captivated Mr. Sampson, and later inspired his artwork.
  
  As an artist and educator, Mr. Sampson considers going to Belgium as a Fulbright Fellow as one of his top career highlights. When he returned from Belgium, he learned the University of Colorado was searching for a visiting artist for one year to take the place of a faculty member on leave. He took up this position and was later asked to join the faculty permanently. He believes serving as a Fulbright from 1959 to 1961 opened up this career-changing position to him. Mr. Sampson first earned a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College in 1950. He continued at the University of Iowa, receiving an MFA in 1952. He later continued at the institution with postgraduate coursework in the late 1950s. Furthermore, Mr. Sampson served in the US Army from 1954 to 1956.
  
  Mr. Sampson began teaching at the University of Colorado in 1961 upon his success as a Fulbright Fellow. He remained at the institution for the entirety of his career, retiring as a professor emeritus of fine arts in 1990. In addition to his career as an educator, Mr. Sampson has been a well-received artist, and has had his work displayed all over the country. His work has been shown at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Arvada Center of the Arts, the Denver Art Museum and the Walker Art Center. Furthermore, he is represented in permanent collections at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, the Des Moines Art Center, the Dulin Gallery of Art, the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum and many other institutions." (source: artist's website) One of Colorao's most highly regarded painters, Frank Sampson is now ninety years old, vibrant, prolific and excited about his new body of work. Professor Emeritus Frank Sampson taught at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1961 to 1990.
  
  Provenance: private Parker, Colorado, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
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  Condition

  Excellent. Artist's name, title, medium, and date handwritten on verso. Mounted in a custom wood frame. Frame has minor scuffs. Otherwise very good and fit with suspension wire.
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