When I opened the Christie’s Web page that presents Beauford’s Untitled (c. 1958), I felt a blast of warmth flow over me.
Untitled
(c. 1958) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
The auction house is offering this brilliant yellow work (Lot 796) during its Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on November 20, 2026. It lists the creation date as c. 1958, which is about midway through Beauford’s years at his Clamart studio.
In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, biographer David Leeming says that “By June [1958] Beauford was back at work with renewed energy and confidence. Aesthetically, he was changing directions slightly, attempting to solve a new problem, which involved the use of color to convey his own inner life.”
The vibrant swirls of Untitled seem to convey this spirit. For me, its energy is palpable.
Christie’s estimates the selling price of this work to be $150,000 to $250,000.
For information about the auction, click HERE.