Beauford and the Civil Rights Movement
This month, we commemorate the forty-second anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a well-respected figure in France as leader of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Two years ago, to mark the fortieth anniversary of his death, the city of Paris named a park in his honor.
Numerous African Americans lived in Paris during the Civil Rights Movement, including Beauford. His dear friend James Baldwin would return to the U.S. to take up the cause firsthand. Beauford encouraged Baldwin in this endeavor, and wrote admiringly of an essay called "Letter from a Region of My Mind" that would later appear in Baldwin's book The Fire Next Time. On the Minneapolis Museum of Art Web site that features the 2004-2005 exposition of Beauford's works called Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris, part of the description of Beauford's portrait of Baldwin entitled The Sage Black (1967) reads as follows:
Baldwin visited Beauford in December 1962 and May 1963, and the two discussed the latest news regarding the movement in the States. These discussions inspired Beauford to create his "Rosa Parks Series" - a number of paintings portraying a black woman sitting on a bench, either alone or with a white woman. The Leeming biography of Beauford indicates that the first sketch depicted Mrs. Parks sitting in a bus next to the words "I will not be moved."
Beauford wrote to Henry Miller about the movement in 1963, stating that his spirit was with the struggle and that "my prayers are with all the Blacks and Whites that they find the power and patience...to join in the nobler human dignity of sharing and existing together in peace." He would address Miller on the same topic in 1967, saying that he was interested in painting "portraits of Negroes in my fashion." He created several portraits of African Americans during the mid-60s, including Richard Long and Marian Anderson, as a result of this inspiration.
David Leeming states in his biography that Dr. King's assassination in 1968 had a "disastrous effect" on Beauford's mental health, and the student riots that subsequently occurred in Paris further upset his equilibrium. His friend Bernard Hassell eventually took him to the south of France for a six-week period, during which Beauford's psychological state improved greatly. The tumultuous year ended well, with Beauford being awarded a grant by the National Council for the Arts.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photo from the collection of the Library of Congress
Numerous African Americans lived in Paris during the Civil Rights Movement, including Beauford. His dear friend James Baldwin would return to the U.S. to take up the cause firsthand. Beauford encouraged Baldwin in this endeavor, and wrote admiringly of an essay called "Letter from a Region of My Mind" that would later appear in Baldwin's book The Fire Next Time. On the Minneapolis Museum of Art Web site that features the 2004-2005 exposition of Beauford's works called Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris, part of the description of Beauford's portrait of Baldwin entitled The Sage Black (1967) reads as follows:
Filled with all the colors of a flame, this incendiary, combustible background peers through Baldwin's form, conveying the passion and fire that was such an integral part of the author who penned, just a few years before, the foreboding essay titled The Fire Next Time.
Baldwin visited Beauford in December 1962 and May 1963, and the two discussed the latest news regarding the movement in the States. These discussions inspired Beauford to create his "Rosa Parks Series" - a number of paintings portraying a black woman sitting on a bench, either alone or with a white woman. The Leeming biography of Beauford indicates that the first sketch depicted Mrs. Parks sitting in a bus next to the words "I will not be moved."
Beauford Delaney (1901-1979)
Rosa Parks, 1967
oil on canvas
31 3/4" x 25 1/2 "
Estate of Beauford Delaney, Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
Beauford wrote to Henry Miller about the movement in 1963, stating that his spirit was with the struggle and that "my prayers are with all the Blacks and Whites that they find the power and patience...to join in the nobler human dignity of sharing and existing together in peace." He would address Miller on the same topic in 1967, saying that he was interested in painting "portraits of Negroes in my fashion." He created several portraits of African Americans during the mid-60s, including Richard Long and Marian Anderson, as a result of this inspiration.
David Leeming states in his biography that Dr. King's assassination in 1968 had a "disastrous effect" on Beauford's mental health, and the student riots that subsequently occurred in Paris further upset his equilibrium. His friend Bernard Hassell eventually took him to the south of France for a six-week period, during which Beauford's psychological state improved greatly. The tumultuous year ended well, with Beauford being awarded a grant by the National Council for the Arts.
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Beauford: Black Man and Painter
When Beauford’s friends and I were deciding upon the inscription for his tombstone, a suggestion was made to refer to him as an African-American painter. This idea was quickly rejected, however, when one of our group reminded us that Beauford did not wish to be remembered as black painter (or even as an American painter) because it placed him in a subcategory.
The following excerpt from a letter written by painter Charley Boggs, one of Beauford’s closest friends, corroborates this:
Boggs says that “Beauford is, of course, race-conscious.” We can see this in Beauford’s art. He not only depicted blacks in his figurative work and his portraiture, but also drew upon the rich culture of African statuary to create numerous vibrant paintings. Yet he did not limit himself to portraying black people or Afro-centric themes in his work because his art was a reflection of his life. Beauford’s œuvre speaks for itself.
The following excerpt from a letter written by painter Charley Boggs, one of Beauford’s closest friends, corroborates this:
"I have just talked with Madame du Closel on the phone. Here are some considerations which she and I feel are important: B(eauford) has spoken to us both about the idea of "representing his race" as a painter. B wants to be known as a painter, not as a Negro painter. I realize that this is a touchy subject but I hope you will understand. Beauford is, of course, race-conscious. How can he help it? But he is not, nor has ever been a spokesman for his race. He may protest privately but has no desire to protest publicly. There is a difference. In any event, as painter, he prefers to remain anonymous when it comes to his color."The letter is dated Monday, November 5, 1962. Sylvain Briet (brother of Philippe Briet of the now defunct Philippe Briet Gallery in New York) found it among the Beauford Delaney papers of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and graciously shared this excerpt with me. It is written to Lynn Stone regarding a proposal for a Beauford Delaney exhibition in New York in the fall of 1963. Madame du Closel was a close personal friend of Beauford who helped him a great deal during his bouts with mental illness.
Boggs says that “Beauford is, of course, race-conscious.” We can see this in Beauford’s art. He not only depicted blacks in his figurative work and his portraiture, but also drew upon the rich culture of African statuary to create numerous vibrant paintings. Yet he did not limit himself to portraying black people or Afro-centric themes in his work because his art was a reflection of his life. Beauford’s œuvre speaks for itself.
Beauford Delaney
Untitled
Oil on masonite (c. 1945)
Collection Brattle Associates
Art for invitation card for the 1994 Philippe Briet retrospective entitled
Beauford Delaney: The New York Years
Courtesy of Sylvain Briet
It is natural, even pathological, for us Americans to classify ourselves first and foremost according to our race. Though I believe that we would be better off rejecting this unfortunate, deeply ingrained tradition, I also believe that it is virtually impossible. Yet I understand and empathize with Beauford’s viewpoint, and intend to honor it. Therefore, though I may refer to Beauford the man as an African American or as a black man, I will never refer to him as a black painter or an African-American painter in this blog. I will also never personally refer to his work as African-American art.
The inscription on his tombstone will simply refer to him as “Peintre / Painter.”