Sam Golden began his paint-making career in 1936 at Bocour Artist Colors, a company he co-owned with his uncle Leonard Bocour. Sam and Leonard began by producing hand ground oil colors for artists in Manhattan. It was a very exciting time in the arts, as the New York School of Painters was coming into its own and New York was becoming the arts center of the world. Artists like Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman and Morris Louis were regular visitors at the Bocour shop on 15th street. They would set up their drawing pads or easels and draw or paint in the tiny shop. It was Sam's work directly with artists and the products he developed in collaboration with these painters that became the inspiration for his entire paint-making career. Sam, the specialist and inventor is credited with the development of the first artist acrylic, the first phthalocyanine artist paints, the first iridescent artist colors, the first stable alizarin color in acrylic, the first stable zinc white in acrylic and the development of water tension breaker.

After 35 years as a paintmaker, Sam retired from his partnership at Bocour Artist Colors. He and his wife, Adele, bought a farm in Upstate New York, in the small village of Columbus. After trying retirement for seven years, and at the age of sixty-seven, Sam decided to go back into the business he loved, making paint for artists. Adele, the consummate business woman, supplied the financial and organizational acumen to both support her husband's life's work and to realize her own dream of starting a Golden family enterprise. Thus began the formation of Golden Artist Colors, Inc. In 1980, Sam invited his son, Mark to join with him in the formation of the new company. Golden Artist Colors, Inc.

The company's mission is "to be recognized as the best resource for artists in the world, and to develop the highest quality products and services." To accomplish this, they visited artists, every week in Manhattan, showing products and asking, "How do you work?" Through this dialogue with the artists, new products were developed and brought to the artist for experimentation. Word quickly spread that there existed a company that would custom make products for professional artists. The product line that began with just 36 colors and 5 mediums quickly expanded, all generated by the needs of professional artists like Helen Frankenthaler, Ken Noland and Roy Lichtenstein.

Sam's rebuff to any technical dilemma was "Don't tell me it can't be done, just get out of my way and let me do it!" And Sam did get it done. Since 1980 his company developed over 1000 custom paints for artists, conservators and many individuals and businesses requiring the special services of custom coatings.

It is no surprise that Sam's company is the benchmark by which all other brands are measured. Golden Artist Colors' commitment to the original tenets of Sam Golden, to listen to the creative customer and to be the best resource for artists in the world, remains strong and constant. Members of the Golden Family have created The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation to commemorate their parent's legacy and the innovative traditions of Golden Artist Colors, Inc.