August 1964 - Beauford's Family Visits Paris
Beauford's brother Emery, sister-in-law Gertrude, and niece Imogene visited Beauford in Paris in August 1964.
From Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
:
The biography gives no further details about what the family may have seen during its sightseeing forays.
For those who do not know Paris, here are some present day images of major landmarks and monuments that Emery, Gertrude, and Imogene likely saw during their stay:
The Eiffel Tower, viewed from boulevard Pasteur (very near the location of Beauford's rue Vercingétorix studio)
Eiffel Tower viewed from boulevard Pasteur
© Discover Paris!
Palais Garnier, Paris' opera house during Beauford's Paris years
Palais Garnier
© Discover Paris!
The Louvre, viewed from the Musée d'Orsay
Louvre
© Discover Paris!
Sacré Coeur Basilica, Montmartre
Sacré Coeur
© Discover Paris!
Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
© Discover Paris!
And here is an image of the self-portrait that Beauford began during their visit:
Auto-portrait
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is currently held by the Whitney Museum of American Art. The portrait was featured during the exhibition Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney's Collection that was shown from
April 27, 2016 through February 12, 2017.
From Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
:On the first Sunday Emery and Beauford went alone to mass at Notre Dame ... during the day there was time to sightsee ... as well as time for Beauford to do sketches for portraits of all three loved ones along with a self-portrait, his greatest of many, that would be finished in 1965.
The biography gives no further details about what the family may have seen during its sightseeing forays.
For those who do not know Paris, here are some present day images of major landmarks and monuments that Emery, Gertrude, and Imogene likely saw during their stay:
The Eiffel Tower, viewed from boulevard Pasteur (very near the location of Beauford's rue Vercingétorix studio)
© Discover Paris!
Palais Garnier, Paris' opera house during Beauford's Paris years
© Discover Paris!
The Louvre, viewed from the Musée d'Orsay
© Discover Paris!
Sacré Coeur Basilica, Montmartre
© Discover Paris!
Place de la Concorde
© Discover Paris!
And here is an image of the self-portrait that Beauford began during their visit:
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is currently held by the Whitney Museum of American Art. The portrait was featured during the exhibition Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney's Collection that was shown from
April 27, 2016 through February 12, 2017.
Beauford's 1959 Thanksgiving
Beauford was living in the Paris suburb of Clamart in 1959. His address was 68, rue Paul Vaillant Couturier.
68, rue Paul Vaillant Couturier, Clamart
© Discover Paris!
Both Beauford and his dear friend, James Baldwin, were in a fragile emotional state during the weeks and months leading up to Thanksgiving that year. Both men benefited from an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner party that Baldwin organized in Beauford's honor.
David A. Leeming, author of Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, says that the party was "memorable, and Beauford demonstrated his happiness by for the first time in years singing some of the old songs with Baldwin."
Fern Marja Eckman, author of The Furious Passage of James Baldwin, provides readers with greater detail. She notes that Baldwin lived "about a block away" from Beauford, in a flat located above a country restaurant. Baldwin had the owners of the restaurant, whom he called Pierrot and Pierrette, prepare the meal under his supervision. Eckman quotes one of the invitees for the evening, a Belgian writer and director named Robert Cordier, to paint a picture of the festivities:
Happy Thanksgiving weekend from Les Amis de Beauford Delaney!
© Discover Paris!
Both Beauford and his dear friend, James Baldwin, were in a fragile emotional state during the weeks and months leading up to Thanksgiving that year. Both men benefited from an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner party that Baldwin organized in Beauford's honor.
David A. Leeming, author of Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, says that the party was "memorable, and Beauford demonstrated his happiness by for the first time in years singing some of the old songs with Baldwin."
Fern Marja Eckman, author of The Furious Passage of James Baldwin, provides readers with greater detail. She notes that Baldwin lived "about a block away" from Beauford, in a flat located above a country restaurant. Baldwin had the owners of the restaurant, whom he called Pierrot and Pierrette, prepare the meal under his supervision. Eckman quotes one of the invitees for the evening, a Belgian writer and director named Robert Cordier, to paint a picture of the festivities:
Jimmy took over the whole restaurant for Thanksgiving ... The table was carefully arranged with autumn decorations. It was really a banquet for twenty people. Jimmy's a gourmet, a connoisseur of wine and cognac. That was a great night!
Happy Thanksgiving weekend from Les Amis de Beauford Delaney!
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 3
Beauford's friend, Jean-Loup Msika, recently shared with me information about the whereabouts of Beauford's room at Saint Anne's Hospital in Paris' 14th arrondissement. We had hoped to visit the location together, but massive renovation is currently underway in that area of the hospital grounds.
Msika provided me with a map of the grounds and showed me where Beauford's room was located. It was in a building in the southeast corner of the property (see the red circle on the map below).
Map of Saint Anne's Hospital (2012)
Here are photos of the façades of Pavillon Benjamin Ball and Pavillon Piera Aulagnier, the two buildings that create a boundary of sorts for the area where Beauford stayed. I took these pictures during a visit to the hospital in March 2014. Construction had already begun in the Ball Pavilion.
Pavillon Benjamin Ball
© Discover Paris!
Pavillon Piera Aulagnier
© Discover Paris!
Msika told me that Beauford shared a room with several other patients. There was a glass door that led to a garden where patients could go at will. It was in this area that the famous photograph of Beauford and James Baldwin was taken.
Beauford and Baldwin, 1976
Photo by Max Petrus
Click on the links below to read the first two posts about Saint Anne's Hospital:
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 1
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 2
Msika provided me with a map of the grounds and showed me where Beauford's room was located. It was in a building in the southeast corner of the property (see the red circle on the map below).
Here are photos of the façades of Pavillon Benjamin Ball and Pavillon Piera Aulagnier, the two buildings that create a boundary of sorts for the area where Beauford stayed. I took these pictures during a visit to the hospital in March 2014. Construction had already begun in the Ball Pavilion.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Msika told me that Beauford shared a room with several other patients. There was a glass door that led to a garden where patients could go at will. It was in this area that the famous photograph of Beauford and James Baldwin was taken.
Photo by Max Petrus
Click on the links below to read the first two posts about Saint Anne's Hospital:
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 1
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 2
Beauford's Paris: The American Center
During his Paris years, Beauford spent a fair amount of time at the American Center for Students and Artists in Montparnasse.
Known simply as "The American Center," it was founded as an educational/athletic community center in 1931. Its original home was a neoclassical building designed by Welles Bosworth, shown below.
American Center for Students and Artists
During the first thirty odd years of its existence, the Center offered popular language, music, and theater courses and was a frequent meeting place for Americans and French alike. In the 1960s and 1970s, it evolved into an incubator for avant-garde expression.
In one of the essays in the catalog for the Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris exposition organized by Sue Canterbury at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. describes the ambiance at the Center in 1971 and tells how he was introduced to Beauford by a friend that he met there:
Two Les Amis blog posts include information about the American Center.
In an homage to Beauford by artist Douglas Petrovic, Douglas recounts the following story:
After an evening of jazz at the American Center, boulevard Raspail, I invited Beauford and several musicians to have a drink at my place. At around 6:30 AM, the musicians and Beauford decided to wake Paris up with a jazz concert. The balcony was long but not wide and they lined up, a trumpetist, a cornet player, Beauford in the middle, a guitarist, and a drummer who played the iron railing of the balcony with [pieces of] wood. That was the first time that I heard Beauford sing with a voice so sweet and admirable that you could only imagine it coming from children singing in Baptist choirs in New Orleans. All the windows of the neighboring buildings opened and everybody applauded despite having been awakened too early. The concert lasted a half-hour or more.
--Douglas de Petrovic
Contributor Colin Gravois tells us that the Mille Colonnes restaurant (where Beauford's commemorative plaque was recently installed) was favored by patrons of the Center:
The American Center remained at the Bosworth building until 1987. The building was demolished to make way for the Fondation Cartier for contemporary art, which moved into a new structure designed by Jean Nouvel in 1994.
For a complete history of the American Center, click HERE.
Known simply as "The American Center," it was founded as an educational/athletic community center in 1931. Its original home was a neoclassical building designed by Welles Bosworth, shown below.
During the first thirty odd years of its existence, the Center offered popular language, music, and theater courses and was a frequent meeting place for Americans and French alike. In the 1960s and 1970s, it evolved into an incubator for avant-garde expression.
In one of the essays in the catalog for the Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris exposition organized by Sue Canterbury at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. describes the ambiance at the Center in 1971 and tells how he was introduced to Beauford by a friend that he met there:
...I discovered that many young black expatriates...congregated at the American Centre, which had provided a space for jazz musicians to jam.
...It was heavenly; so much peace, so much healing, for one who had been so far away from home, and for so very long.
...Inevitably, a friendship or two kindled. And my new friend, an exuberantly open saxophonist, invited me - dragged me - to meet someone he called "Buford."
Two Les Amis blog posts include information about the American Center.
In an homage to Beauford by artist Douglas Petrovic, Douglas recounts the following story:
After an evening of jazz at the American Center, boulevard Raspail, I invited Beauford and several musicians to have a drink at my place. At around 6:30 AM, the musicians and Beauford decided to wake Paris up with a jazz concert. The balcony was long but not wide and they lined up, a trumpetist, a cornet player, Beauford in the middle, a guitarist, and a drummer who played the iron railing of the balcony with [pieces of] wood. That was the first time that I heard Beauford sing with a voice so sweet and admirable that you could only imagine it coming from children singing in Baptist choirs in New Orleans. All the windows of the neighboring buildings opened and everybody applauded despite having been awakened too early. The concert lasted a half-hour or more.
--Douglas de Petrovic
Contributor Colin Gravois tells us that the Mille Colonnes restaurant (where Beauford's commemorative plaque was recently installed) was favored by patrons of the Center:
The restaurant was only a five-minute walk from the American Center on boulevard Raspail, where many of us congregated in the afternoon or early evening, and many of the Center’s denizens eventually found themselves there sometime between 6 and 10 PM nightly.
The American Center remained at the Bosworth building until 1987. The building was demolished to make way for the Fondation Cartier for contemporary art, which moved into a new structure designed by Jean Nouvel in 1994.
For a complete history of the American Center, click HERE.
Dining at Les Mille Colonnes
Colin Gravois, a dear friend of Beauford, was the person who first told me about the restaurant called Les Mille Colonnes in Montparnasse. It was located at the address now occupied by Hôtel Le M, where Beauford's first commemorative plaque was recently installed.
Hôtel Le M façade
© Discover Paris!
Les Mille Colonnes plaque
© Discover Paris!
Colin graciously contributes this brief memoir of the restaurant and the meals that he, Beauford, and other friends shared there:
*The Raspail Vert was located at 232, boulevard Raspail. It was down the street from the American Center for Students and Artists, located at 261, boulevard Raspail. Both are now closed.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Colin graciously contributes this brief memoir of the restaurant and the meals that he, Beauford, and other friends shared there:
When I first arrived in Paris in 1968, Les Mille Colonnes (one thousand columns) was the restaurant of choice for people with small or next-to-inexistant budgets living in the Montparnasse area, and it remained our eating place for many years, most often for dinner. It got its name from the outside décor: faux columns in bas relief painted white, with the rest of the outside wall a light blue. The picture below conveys the idea, although the columns were not painted white at the time it was taken. Unfortunately the building was razed in the 1970s to build a hotel.
Les Mille Colonnes circa 1900
The restaurant was only a five-minute walk from the American Center* on boulevard Raspail, where many of us congregated in the afternoon or early evening, and many of the Center’s denizens eventually found themselves there sometime between 6 and 10 PM nightly. Just couldn't be beat!
Mille Colonnes was a huge place, seating at least 300, and it had a gaggle of waiters who scooted around as if on roller skates; we were always impressed how they carried large platters of food with one hand and with all the bustle around them, nary a fall. Another thing that amazed us was how, when exiting the kitchen with a platter of food, they had to stop by a lady at the register and count off the dishes one by one, which she would record under each waiter’s account. (This was to prevent them feeding their friends for free!) That procedure was done so quickly and with such dispatch that it was a sideshow in itself.
We were always impressed by the wait staff. They carried a pencil to write down the order on the paper table covering as you called it out, and then at the end they’d total it all up right before you.
Colin Gravois in front of his portrait painted
by Beauford Delaney (circa late 1960s)
Photo courtesy of Colin Gravois
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Of course, another reason it was a favorite was the prices. Considering the very reasonable cost, the menu was quite varied, with at least 10 or more choices of main dish. The quality was exceedingly high for a restaurant of its kind (at least to our young palates, as someone recently reminded me).
The menu came printed on mimeographed pages - a new one daily - in purple and pinkish ink. I can still remember the exact prices. For slightly less then one dollar you could get a full 3-course meal : hors d’oeuvres and dessert were 0F90 and the mains went for 3F50, totaling 5F30. With the dollar then trading at 5F50, it was quite a deal! If you felt like “splurging,” a ¼-liter carafe of wine was 0F90.
Beauford Delaney lived a few blocks south of the restaurant on rue Vercingétorix, so when he had a few francs to spare he’d usually come in around 6 o’clock. Oft times when we arrived we would find him alone at a table, and we joined him if there was a place for all of us, or asked him to move to our table if we were a larger group. He always was so happy to see us, and many times we’d chip in to pay his dinner. (Beauford wasn’t exactly rolling in cash.) Some times he’d join us afterwards for a coffee at the Raspail Vert* or the Café Select, but mostly he would return to his place. He’d say old people like to go to bed early.
*The Raspail Vert was located at 232, boulevard Raspail. It was down the street from the American Center for Students and Artists, located at 261, boulevard Raspail. Both are now closed.
Beauford's "Citation in Context"
Installation artist Aprille Best Glover sent me an e-mail a few days ago. I quote from her message below:
Aprille calls her project "108 Quotes 108 Days 108 Citation 108 Joys." She shared the URL for the Web site in her message: Le Grand Livre de Paris.
I happily prepared a response containing a quote from Beauford, the most important of the addresses where he lived in Paris, and the URL for the Les Amis blog. Before sending it, I visited her Web site and saw that the first person quoted on the site is James Baldwin.
When I sent my reply, I asked Aprille whether she was aware of the deep connection between Baldwin and Beauford. She was not. She sent a return message asking me whether I had written anything about Beauford and volunteered to place a link to an article that speaks of the connection between him and Beauford. She has done just that. At the end of the English text about Baldwin (there is a French translation of it on the page as well), she emphasizes that articles that treat the subject of Baldwin's and Beauford's relationship highlights how personal connection matters.
Aprille's project is not yet finished and the section of the map that contains Beauford's quote is not yet on line. She has graciously allowed me to publish it here (click on the image to enlarge it):
Citations in Context (detail)
© Aprille Best Glover
The quotation that I supplied (from Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
) is as follows:
Aprille has placed it in the section of the map where Saint Anne's Hospital is located in the 14th arrondissement.
First thank you for all your content. I have been doing huge amount of research about Paris and I keep bumping into your site (Entrée to Black Paris). If it wouldn’t be too inconvenient, could I ask you for some assistance concerning Beauford Delaney?
What I am working on now is a very large map of Paris (3 meters by 2 meters) built of quotes in the shape of city blocks. The particularity of this map is that each quote is placed over a location that I can trace directly to the person quoted (their home, historical happening, workplace or atelier, for example). I have located what I think are most of the obvious African-Americans in Paris (James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, Miles Davis, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Nina Simone, Richard Wright, Angela Davis, Victor Séjour, etc.), hence my stumbling over your site multiple times.
I was wondering if you might be able to give me a direct quote of Beauford Delaney and any addresses inside Paris that are directly connected with his life...
Aprille calls her project "108 Quotes 108 Days 108 Citation 108 Joys." She shared the URL for the Web site in her message: Le Grand Livre de Paris.
I happily prepared a response containing a quote from Beauford, the most important of the addresses where he lived in Paris, and the URL for the Les Amis blog. Before sending it, I visited her Web site and saw that the first person quoted on the site is James Baldwin.
When I sent my reply, I asked Aprille whether she was aware of the deep connection between Baldwin and Beauford. She was not. She sent a return message asking me whether I had written anything about Beauford and volunteered to place a link to an article that speaks of the connection between him and Beauford. She has done just that. At the end of the English text about Baldwin (there is a French translation of it on the page as well), she emphasizes that articles that treat the subject of Baldwin's and Beauford's relationship highlights how personal connection matters.
Aprille's project is not yet finished and the section of the map that contains Beauford's quote is not yet on line. She has graciously allowed me to publish it here (click on the image to enlarge it):
© Aprille Best Glover
The quotation that I supplied (from Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
) is as follows:Time became different--not just an hour by the clock but a mysterious aliveness from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, touching everything and everyone. This began to be Paris for me...
Aprille has placed it in the section of the map where Saint Anne's Hospital is located in the 14th arrondissement.
SS Liberté - Beauford's Transport on His First Trip to Paris
Beauford embarked on his first voyage to France on August 28, 1953, sailing on the French ocean liner SS Liberté. His biographer, David A. Leeming, begins his brief description of the trip in Amazing Grace as follows:
Elsewhere on the Les Amis blog (Beauford's Ocean Voyage to Paris), I have written about the history of the Liberté and the fact that many African Americans enjoyed sailing on this vessel. What I am pleased to share with you today is a link for a treasure trove of photos of the ship, illustrating numerous first class apartments, the spacious dining room, and other areas:
Pinterest - SS Liberté
While I have no details about Beauford's cabin or the deck on which it was located, the common areas of the ship were certainly open to him. The Liberté was very likely the most luxurious accommodation he ever experienced!
as follows:The passage from New York to Le Havre was one of the happiest interludes of Beauford's life. On the French ship he was treated with respect, and had the rare luxury of comfortable quarters, three full meals a day, and a midnight snack. Life had never been so easy for him. ...for once there was no shortage of money.
Beauford on the deck of the SS Liberté
Photo from David Leeming’s Amazing Grace
Elsewhere on the Les Amis blog (Beauford's Ocean Voyage to Paris), I have written about the history of the Liberté and the fact that many African Americans enjoyed sailing on this vessel. What I am pleased to share with you today is a link for a treasure trove of photos of the ship, illustrating numerous first class apartments, the spacious dining room, and other areas:
While I have no details about Beauford's cabin or the deck on which it was located, the common areas of the ship were certainly open to him. The Liberté was very likely the most luxurious accommodation he ever experienced!
Beauford in Vélizy
From time to time, I write a post to share contemporary photos of areas that Beauford frequented in Paris and the neighboring suburbs - the sites he saw, the streets he knew...
Today, I'm bringing you beautiful photos of the home and surroundings of Beauford's dear friend, James LeGros. Jim and his wife Bunny were Beauford's "dear friends in the country" and Beauford spent considerable time with them in the Paris suburb of Vélizy.
According to Jim, Beauford would take the train out to visit him and Bunny.
Chaville-Vélizy train station
© Discover Paris!
But when he had a mind to, Beauford would walk back to his apartment in Clamart, which was over 5 1/2 miles (8.9 km) away when following roads!
Photographer Christian Parramon was gracious enough to share photos of the LeGros home and neighborhood, where Beauford felt so welcome. These images (below) provide a broader perspective than the ones I published in Part 1 of Jim's tribute to Beauford.
The area has been built up since the late 50s, but it is still wooded, idyllic, and peaceful.
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Forest and pond behind the LeGros home
© Christian Parramon
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Clouds reflected in the étang (pond) behind the LeGros home
© Christian Parramon
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View of the LeGros house (far right) from across the étang (pond)
© Christian Parramon
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Yard at the LeGros house
© Christian Parramon
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Advertisement on the side of the LeGros house
© Christian Parramon
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View of first floor window of the LeGros house
© Christian Parramon
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Living room of the LeGros house
© Christian Parramon
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Hallway of the LeGros house
© Christian Parramon
Thank you, Christian!
Today, I'm bringing you beautiful photos of the home and surroundings of Beauford's dear friend, James LeGros. Jim and his wife Bunny were Beauford's "dear friends in the country" and Beauford spent considerable time with them in the Paris suburb of Vélizy.
According to Jim, Beauford would take the train out to visit him and Bunny.
© Discover Paris!
But when he had a mind to, Beauford would walk back to his apartment in Clamart, which was over 5 1/2 miles (8.9 km) away when following roads!
Photographer Christian Parramon was gracious enough to share photos of the LeGros home and neighborhood, where Beauford felt so welcome. These images (below) provide a broader perspective than the ones I published in Part 1 of Jim's tribute to Beauford.
The area has been built up since the late 50s, but it is still wooded, idyllic, and peaceful.
b.jpg)
© Christian Parramon
b.jpg)
© Christian Parramon
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© Christian Parramon
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© Christian Parramon
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© Christian Parramon
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© Christian Parramon
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© Christian Parramon
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© Christian Parramon
Thank you, Christian!
Visiting Thiais Cemetery - Part 2
Last week, I reported on the new tramway that runs past Thiais Cemetery, making it easier than ever to visit Beauford's final resting place.
This week, I am sharing photos of the cemetery that I took in late March. They capture some of the foliage and flora that reflect the arrival of spring.
This is the conservation office, where cemetery records are held.
Conservation Office
© Discover Paris!
Division 17 is one of two military divisions at the cemetery. In one corner, there is an area devoted to Muslims who gave their lives for France.
Division 17 - entrance
© Discover Paris!
Division 17 - Christian and Jewish graves
© Discover Paris!
Muslim graves
© Discover Paris!
Muslim tombstone
© Discover Paris!
Some divisions have beautiful flowering trees and bushes.
Division 49
© Discover Paris!
Division 56
© Discover Paris!
Many have patches of wildflowers that make a lovely, colorful carpet among the graves.
Wildflowers
© Discover Paris!
In Division 94, the Jardin de Souvenir is where the ashes of two African-American friends of Beauford - Larry Potter and Leroy Haynes - were scattered after their concessions at Thiais Cemetery and Père Lachaise Cemetery, respectively, were not renewed. Larry Potter was an abstract artist. Leroy Haynes was a restaurant owner, boxer, and actor.
Jardin de Souvenir
© Discover Paris!
In Division 86, where Beauford is buried, this tomb is overlain with an explosion of yellow daffodils. It is only a stone's throw from Beauford's gravesite.
Daffodils covering a grave
© Discover Paris!
As yellow was Beauford's favorite color, I am sure that he would have loved to see this!
Beauford's tombstone is as pristine today as it was when it was laid in 2010.
Beauford's tombstone - March 2014
© Discover Paris!
The cemetery is an oasis of calm. Though it takes planning to come here, the effort is well worth it!
This week, I am sharing photos of the cemetery that I took in late March. They capture some of the foliage and flora that reflect the arrival of spring.
This is the conservation office, where cemetery records are held.
© Discover Paris!
Division 17 is one of two military divisions at the cemetery. In one corner, there is an area devoted to Muslims who gave their lives for France.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Some divisions have beautiful flowering trees and bushes.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Many have patches of wildflowers that make a lovely, colorful carpet among the graves.
© Discover Paris!
In Division 94, the Jardin de Souvenir is where the ashes of two African-American friends of Beauford - Larry Potter and Leroy Haynes - were scattered after their concessions at Thiais Cemetery and Père Lachaise Cemetery, respectively, were not renewed. Larry Potter was an abstract artist. Leroy Haynes was a restaurant owner, boxer, and actor.
© Discover Paris!
In Division 86, where Beauford is buried, this tomb is overlain with an explosion of yellow daffodils. It is only a stone's throw from Beauford's gravesite.
© Discover Paris!
As yellow was Beauford's favorite color, I am sure that he would have loved to see this!
Beauford's tombstone is as pristine today as it was when it was laid in 2010.
© Discover Paris!
The cemetery is an oasis of calm. Though it takes planning to come here, the effort is well worth it!
Visiting Thiais Cemetery - Part 1
I visited Thiais Cemetery last week, just a few days before the 35th anniversary of Beauford's death.
A new tramway (T7) now runs past the cemetery, making the trip from central Paris faster, easier, and more pleasant than ever before. I documented the route to encourage those of you who would like to make the trip but are hesitant to do so because the cemetery is located outside the Paris city limits.
The route is simple. Take metro line 7, direction Villejuif, to the end of the line.
Metro stops indicated on panel above door on metro Line 7
© Discover Paris!
Follow the signs to the sortie (exit) for avenue de Stalingrad.
Sign on quay indicating avenue de Stalingrad exit
© Discover Paris!
Sign indicating avenue de Stalingrad exit
© Discover Paris!
Close-up of sign indicating avenue de Stalingrad exit
© Discover Paris!
Take the escalator to leave the station.
Escalator to avenue de Stalingrad exit
© Discover Paris!
The tram runs directly in front of the metro station. The shelter is located across the track and slightly to the left. Walk across the track (being careful to look for traffic before you cross) to board the tram. Take the train going in the direction of Athis Mons...
and exit at the stop called Auguste Perret.
Tram stops indicated on panel above door on T7
© Discover Paris!
Panel indicating next tram stop on ceiling of T7
© Discover Paris!
The cemetery is behind a cement wall across the busy route de Fontainebleau.
A new tramway (T7) now runs past the cemetery, making the trip from central Paris faster, easier, and more pleasant than ever before. I documented the route to encourage those of you who would like to make the trip but are hesitant to do so because the cemetery is located outside the Paris city limits.
The route is simple. Take metro line 7, direction Villejuif, to the end of the line.
© Discover Paris!
Follow the signs to the sortie (exit) for avenue de Stalingrad.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Take the escalator to leave the station.
© Discover Paris!
The tram runs directly in front of the metro station. The shelter is located across the track and slightly to the left. Walk across the track (being careful to look for traffic before you cross) to board the tram. Take the train going in the direction of Athis Mons...
and exit at the stop called Auguste Perret.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
The cemetery is behind a cement wall across the busy route de Fontainebleau.
© Discover Paris!
Next week, I'll share photos of the cemetery itself.
Beauford's Gravesite on Thiais Cemetery "Celebrity" List
As a follow-up to the letter that Les Amis de Beauford Delaney received in July 2013, indicating that Beauford's grave would be preserved in perpetuity by the City of Paris at Thiais Cemetery, we have received the recently revised map of the cemetery. Beauford's gravesite is cited on the list of "most visited" graves. It's actually the first site noted on the list!
Map of Thiais Cemetery and list of most visited graves
Beauford’s grave is located in Division 86. It is in the second row, Tomb number 45.
Les Amis once again acknowledges Mme Marilyn Pin, deputy director of the cemetery, for her efforts in making this happen. Thanks to her, Beauford's grave will remain intact at Thiais Cemetery unless members of his family deem otherwise.
To read more about the cemetery, click HERE.
Beauford’s grave is located in Division 86. It is in the second row, Tomb number 45.
Les Amis once again acknowledges Mme Marilyn Pin, deputy director of the cemetery, for her efforts in making this happen. Thanks to her, Beauford's grave will remain intact at Thiais Cemetery unless members of his family deem otherwise.
To read more about the cemetery, click HERE.
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 2
Last week I shared some photos of the grounds of Saint Anne's Hospital, which was Beauford's last residence prior to his death.
Saint Anne's provides cutting edge therapy in the fields of psychiatry and neuroscience today. I want to share some information about the institution's history and its current status within the city of Paris with you in this post.
Insignia - Saint Anne's Hospital
© Discover Paris!
The Centre Hospitalier Sainte Anne is built on land that has served as a hospital since the 13th century. Marguerite de Provence, wife of King Louis IX (Saint Louis) had a "health house" (maison de santé) constructed on the property. Anne d'Autriche, wife of Louis XIII and mother of the "Sun King," Louis XIV, built the first true hospital here. The current facility owes its name to her - it was originally called Saint Anne's farm.
In 1863, Napoleon III decided that a psychiatric hospital should be built here. He assigned the edification of the facility to Baron Haussmann, the same man who is largely responsible for Paris' current urban design. Haussmann placed architect Charles-Auguste Questel in charge of the project and work proceeded over a period of four years. Most of the buildings that were put into service in 1867 still exist and constitute the architectural patrimony of the hospital.
Questel's original layout
© Discover Paris!
Saint Anne's was inscribed on the list of historical monuments in France on November 26, 1979, just over a month before Beauford died.
The campus covers 13 hectares (32 acres), with over seven hectares (17 acres) of protected green space.
Courtyard flanked by trees and flower beds
© Discover Paris!
The principal thoroughfare is being renovated to respect as much of Questel's original layout as possible: on site parking is being minimized; flower beds, gardens, and esplanades are being re-established; and original ground cover is being restored.
Over 40 "remarkable trees," complete with signage that presents genus, species, and land of origin, dot the campus and dozens of new trees are scheduled to be planted. Over 10 botanical trails are envisioned as well.
Bird house and flowering trees
© Discover Paris!
A small public park can be found near the main entrance on rue Cabanis.
Parc Charles Baudelaire
© Discover Paris!
The most attractive views of buildings and the best piece of sculpture on the grounds can be found in the Cour Maurice Ravel.
View of Cour Maurice Ravel
© Discover Paris!
New buildings (including social housing) are being constructed, but they are relegated to the periphery of the campus. The older buildings are being completely refurbished inside so that the facilities are completely modern.
Pavilion Benjamin Ball under restoration
© Discover Paris!
All aspects of the design are being undertaken with the intent to maintain Saint Anne's as an integral part of the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood.
Click on the link below to read the first post about Saint Anne's Hospital:
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 1
Saint Anne's provides cutting edge therapy in the fields of psychiatry and neuroscience today. I want to share some information about the institution's history and its current status within the city of Paris with you in this post.
© Discover Paris!
The Centre Hospitalier Sainte Anne is built on land that has served as a hospital since the 13th century. Marguerite de Provence, wife of King Louis IX (Saint Louis) had a "health house" (maison de santé) constructed on the property. Anne d'Autriche, wife of Louis XIII and mother of the "Sun King," Louis XIV, built the first true hospital here. The current facility owes its name to her - it was originally called Saint Anne's farm.
In 1863, Napoleon III decided that a psychiatric hospital should be built here. He assigned the edification of the facility to Baron Haussmann, the same man who is largely responsible for Paris' current urban design. Haussmann placed architect Charles-Auguste Questel in charge of the project and work proceeded over a period of four years. Most of the buildings that were put into service in 1867 still exist and constitute the architectural patrimony of the hospital.
© Discover Paris!
Saint Anne's was inscribed on the list of historical monuments in France on November 26, 1979, just over a month before Beauford died.
The campus covers 13 hectares (32 acres), with over seven hectares (17 acres) of protected green space.
© Discover Paris!
The principal thoroughfare is being renovated to respect as much of Questel's original layout as possible: on site parking is being minimized; flower beds, gardens, and esplanades are being re-established; and original ground cover is being restored.
Over 40 "remarkable trees," complete with signage that presents genus, species, and land of origin, dot the campus and dozens of new trees are scheduled to be planted. Over 10 botanical trails are envisioned as well.
© Discover Paris!
A small public park can be found near the main entrance on rue Cabanis.
© Discover Paris!
The most attractive views of buildings and the best piece of sculpture on the grounds can be found in the Cour Maurice Ravel.
© Discover Paris!
New buildings (including social housing) are being constructed, but they are relegated to the periphery of the campus. The older buildings are being completely refurbished inside so that the facilities are completely modern.
© Discover Paris!
All aspects of the design are being undertaken with the intent to maintain Saint Anne's as an integral part of the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood.
Click on the link below to read the first post about Saint Anne's Hospital:
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 1
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 1
Beauford spent the last 3 1/2 years of his life at the Centre Hospitalier Sainte Anne (Saint Anne's Hospital) in Paris' 14th arrondissement. I had the opportunity to visit the grounds just a few days ago.
Centre Hospitalier Sainte Anne - Main Entrance
© Discover Paris!
I was surprised to find that Saint Anne's feels more like a college campus than a hospital. There are numerous benches for sitting and relaxing...
Parc Charles Baudelaire
© Discover Paris!
stand-alone buildings...
Esquirol, Magnan, and Morel Pavilions
© Discover Paris!
courtyards complete with statuary...
Central Pharmacy and Maurice Ravel courtyard
© Discover Paris!
and covered walkways.
Intersection of covered walkways
© Discover Paris!
A large 19th-century chapel can be found behind the pharmacy.
Chapel
© Discover Paris!
With newly planted flower beds and sprays of daffodil and crocus dotting the lawns, my stroll through the grounds on that warm spring day was altogether pleasant!
Daffodils
© Discover Paris!
Next week, I'll bring you information on the history of the hospital, the protected green spaces on the grounds, and additional photos.
Insignia - Saint Anne's Hospital
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
I was surprised to find that Saint Anne's feels more like a college campus than a hospital. There are numerous benches for sitting and relaxing...
© Discover Paris!
stand-alone buildings...
© Discover Paris!
courtyards complete with statuary...
© Discover Paris!
and covered walkways.
© Discover Paris!
A large 19th-century chapel can be found behind the pharmacy.
© Discover Paris!
With newly planted flower beds and sprays of daffodil and crocus dotting the lawns, my stroll through the grounds on that warm spring day was altogether pleasant!
© Discover Paris!
Next week, I'll bring you information on the history of the hospital, the protected green spaces on the grounds, and additional photos.
© Discover Paris!
Beauford at the American Cultural Center
David Leeming’s Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney mentions that Beauford's works were shown several times at the American Cultural Center on rue du Dragon. The center was founded by Beauford's dear friend, Darthea Speyer, and was subsequently taken over by another friend, Hélène Baltrusaitis.
Leeming describes one of these occasions as follows:
Needless to say, I was thrilled when Robert Tricoire, a French journalist who worked for the Cultural Attaché of the American Embassy during the 1960s, shared the images below (reproduced with permission from the U.S. Embassy in Paris) with me:
We Love Beauford
(Beauford is front and center)
Beauford and Darthea Speyer
Beauford in the audience at the American Cultural Center
Tricoire was introduced to Beauford by their mutual friend, American artist James LeGros. Beauford and Tricoire became friends and would visit each other at their respective homes in Montparnasse.
The event at the American Cultural Center took place in 1969.
Leeming describes one of these occasions as follows:
On March 21, under the direction of Hélène Baltrusaitis, the American Cultural Center on the rue du Dragon, with the help of several friends, sponsored an evening dedicated to the painter. There was a retrospective exposition of his works borrowed from various galleries and collectors and a huge colorful sign painted by Joe Downing that said "We love Beauford." There was food and champagne and a jazz band...
Needless to say, I was thrilled when Robert Tricoire, a French journalist who worked for the Cultural Attaché of the American Embassy during the 1960s, shared the images below (reproduced with permission from the U.S. Embassy in Paris) with me:
(Beauford is front and center)
Tricoire was introduced to Beauford by their mutual friend, American artist James LeGros. Beauford and Tricoire became friends and would visit each other at their respective homes in Montparnasse.
The event at the American Cultural Center took place in 1969.
Beauford's Paris: Montparnasse Cemetery
On October 31, 2013, I happened to stroll past the Montparnasse Cemetery. James Baldwin wanted this to be Beauford's final resting place, but neither he nor Beauford's family had the money to pay for a plot.
Montparnasse Cemetery - Main Entrance
© Discover Paris!
The sidewalk in front of the main entrance was dotted with pots of flowers waiting to be sold to those visiting grave sites on the eve of All Saints' Day.
Pots of flowers
© Discover Paris!
When I saw these beautiful yellow mums, I thought of Beauford and all the brilliant paintings that he created in the color yellow.
Yellow chrysanthemums
© Discover Paris!
I also thought about two artists whose acquaintance he had made and who are buried in the cemetery: Man Ray and Constantin Brâncuși.
Grave site of Man and Juliet Ray
© Discover Paris!
Grave site of Constantin Brâncuși
Screen shot from video
According to biographer David A. Leeming, Beauford had seen Brâncuși's sculpture The Kiss here and admired it greatly. The Kiss can be found in at the grave of a friend of Brâncuși in another area of the cemetery.
Le Baiser
Constantin Brâncuși
© Discover Paris!
A smaller Brâncuși sculpture by the same name is also located there.
Le Baiser
Constantin Brâncuși
© Discover Paris!
Beauford's studio at the Hôtel des Ecoles on rue Delambre and the studio on rue Vercingétorix were both within easy walking distance of this prestigious cemetery. It would have been a natural place for him to be interred.
© Discover Paris!
The sidewalk in front of the main entrance was dotted with pots of flowers waiting to be sold to those visiting grave sites on the eve of All Saints' Day.
© Discover Paris!
When I saw these beautiful yellow mums, I thought of Beauford and all the brilliant paintings that he created in the color yellow.
© Discover Paris!
I also thought about two artists whose acquaintance he had made and who are buried in the cemetery: Man Ray and Constantin Brâncuși.
© Discover Paris!
Screen shot from video
According to biographer David A. Leeming, Beauford had seen Brâncuși's sculpture The Kiss here and admired it greatly. The Kiss can be found in at the grave of a friend of Brâncuși in another area of the cemetery.
Constantin Brâncuși
© Discover Paris!
A smaller Brâncuși sculpture by the same name is also located there.
Constantin Brâncuși
© Discover Paris!
Beauford's studio at the Hôtel des Ecoles on rue Delambre and the studio on rue Vercingétorix were both within easy walking distance of this prestigious cemetery. It would have been a natural place for him to be interred.
Beauford's Paris: Cité Falguière
© Ralf.treinen
Creative Commons License
Cité Falguière is an impasse located near the rear of the Montparnasse train station in the 15th arrondissement. Less than ten-minute's walk from the location of Beauford's last studio on rue Vercingétorix, it was constructed as a series of 30 ateliers for artists during the late 19th century. Urban renewal of the impasse began in the 1960s and of the original structures, only Numbers 9 and 11 remain standing today (shown above). Both buildings continue to house artists' studios.
One of Beauford's dearest friends, Charley Boggs, lived in a small studio at 5, cité Falguière. Boggs was a painter whom Beauford met during his first few weeks in Paris in 1953; the two men became close when Boggs brought Beauford chicken broth while Beauford was suffering from the flu in October of that year. Boggs, his wife Gita, and their son Gordon, became a surrogate family for Beauford, but Boggs and his wife had separated by the time he moved to the Cité.
Beauford would visit Boggs frequently at his studio and would often sleep in the loft there during the early 1970s. For a brief time in 1969, Beauford rented a studio near Cité Falguière in which to store his paintings.
Beauford would undoubtedly have been thrilled to know that Ecole de Paris painter Amadeo Modigliani had a studio at Cité Falguière (Number 14). Modigliani's name was found on one of Beauford's sketchbook journals dating from the early 1940s in connection with Beauford's studies on the use of color. Other well known artists from Modigliani's era who lived and worked at the Cité were Chaim Soutine (Number 11), Tsuguharu Foujita, and Constantin Brancusi (whom Beauford knew personally).
African-American painters Ed Clark (a personal friend of Beauford) and Sylvester Britton also worked in studios at Cité Falguière after the Second World War.
Beauford's Paris: Rue des Carmes
In looking for references to Thanksgiving in Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, I found a passage that talks about Beauford spending a great deal of time at the apartment of his friend Mary Painter in the 5th arrondissement. Biographer David Leeming states that on most weekends between January and November 1956, Beauford and whomever else was staying at Beauford's Clamart residence would go to visit Painter at her "new and very grand apartment" on rue des Carmes (exact address not mentioned). These people included James Baldwin and his lover Arnold, Bernard Hassell, and Richard Olney. They enjoyed extravagant meals prepared by Painter and Olney, listened to jazz and blues, and drank lots of whisky. They called these parties the "Saturday Night Functions" after the song of the same name.
, I found a passage that talks about Beauford spending a great deal of time at the apartment of his friend Mary Painter in the 5th arrondissement. Biographer David Leeming states that on most weekends between January and November 1956, Beauford and whomever else was staying at Beauford's Clamart residence would go to visit Painter at her "new and very grand apartment" on rue des Carmes (exact address not mentioned). These people included James Baldwin and his lover Arnold, Bernard Hassell, and Richard Olney. They enjoyed extravagant meals prepared by Painter and Olney, listened to jazz and blues, and drank lots of whisky. They called these parties the "Saturday Night Functions" after the song of the same name.
The Pantheon viewed from rue des Carmes
© Discover Paris!
The final gathering at the Painter apartment took place on Thanksgiving Day 1956, after which Painter left Paris to return to the U.S.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Beauford's Paris: Gare Saint-Lazare
The last leg of Beauford's first journey to Paris, which took place roughly 59 years ago, was by train. That train's destination was the Gare Saint-Lazare in the 9th arrondissement. Herb Gentry and Bob Blackburn met him at the station and took him to Montparnasse, where he began his life as an expatriate.
One of Beauford's favorite artists, Claude Monet, captured multiple images of Saint-Lazare station on canvas. A few of them are presented below.
Saint-Lazare Station: Arrival of a train
Claude Monet
(1877) Oil on canvas
Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, USA
The Gare Saint-Lazare
Claude Monet
(1877) Oil on canvas
National Gallery, London
Saint-Lazare Station, The Signals
Claude Monet
(1877) Oil on canvas
Niedersachsische Landesmuseum, Hannover
The painting at the Hannover museum calls to mind Beauford's fondness of representing street lamps in paintings from his New York days:
Greenwich Village
Beauford Delaney
(1945) Oil on canvas
Photo by Manu Sasoonian, from Amazing Grace
Washington Square
Beauford Delaney
(1948) Oil on canvas
Image from Pomegranate Note Card
One of Beauford's favorite artists, Claude Monet, captured multiple images of Saint-Lazare station on canvas. A few of them are presented below.
Claude Monet
(1877) Oil on canvas
Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, USA
Claude Monet
(1877) Oil on canvas
National Gallery, London
Claude Monet
(1877) Oil on canvas
Niedersachsische Landesmuseum, Hannover
The painting at the Hannover museum calls to mind Beauford's fondness of representing street lamps in paintings from his New York days:
Beauford Delaney
(1945) Oil on canvas
Photo by Manu Sasoonian, from Amazing Grace
Beauford Delaney
(1948) Oil on canvas
Image from Pomegranate Note Card
Beauford and Emery: The Delaney Brothers at Notre Dame Cathedral
In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, David A. Leeming writes that "Beauford always had a religious streak. He loved visiting the great cathedrals - Chartres and Notre Dame especially - not only for aesthetic purposes but because he envied the order and constancy he saw them as representing."
Beauford received a visit from his brother Emery, sister-in-law Gertrude, and niece Imogene in August 1955. On the first Sunday of their visit, Beauford and Emery attended mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. Emery also found the church appealing and described his experience as "heart-thrilling" in a letter to Joe Delaney (Beauford and Emery's brother).
Anyone seeing the cathedral cannot fail to be impressed by it. Here I share several photos that will give you an idea of why this church has inspired so many.
Notre Dame Viewed from the Left Bank
© Discover Paris!
Rear of Notre Dame Cathedral
Creative Commons Attribution: Kiwiboy121
Organ at Notre Dame Cathedral
Creative Commons Attribution: Eric Chan
Pietà
Nicolas Coustou
1712-28 Marble
© Discover Paris!
Rose from Garden behind Notre Dame Cathedral
Creative Commons Attribution: Charlesblack
View of the city from Notre Dame Cathedral
© Discover Paris!
For more stunning and unusual photos of the cathedral, click here.
, David A. Leeming writes that "Beauford always had a religious streak. He loved visiting the great cathedrals - Chartres and Notre Dame especially - not only for aesthetic purposes but because he envied the order and constancy he saw them as representing."Beauford received a visit from his brother Emery, sister-in-law Gertrude, and niece Imogene in August 1955. On the first Sunday of their visit, Beauford and Emery attended mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. Emery also found the church appealing and described his experience as "heart-thrilling" in a letter to Joe Delaney (Beauford and Emery's brother).
Anyone seeing the cathedral cannot fail to be impressed by it. Here I share several photos that will give you an idea of why this church has inspired so many.
© Discover Paris!
Creative Commons Attribution: Kiwiboy121
Creative Commons Attribution: Eric Chan
Nicolas Coustou
1712-28 Marble
© Discover Paris!
Creative Commons Attribution: Charlesblack
© Discover Paris!
For more stunning and unusual photos of the cathedral, click here.
Beauford and Dizzy Gillespie
Beauford counted Dizzy Gillespie among his friends. He was excited about seeing Gillespie perform at a "Jazz at the Philharmonic" concert at the Alhambra in June 1958. Artists Ray Brown, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Max Bennett, Herb Elis, Sonny Stitt, Roy Eldridge, Gus Johnson, Lou Levy, Pete Johnson, and Joe Turner were all part of the show.
Five of these artists can be seen playing together in the video below. The song is Gillespie's "Blues after Dark," recorded in 1958. Click on the image to watch!
Gillespie played in Paris frequently during Beauford's Paris years and regaled audiences at famous theaters such as the Olympia and the Salle Pleyel.
Five of these artists can be seen playing together in the video below. The song is Gillespie's "Blues after Dark," recorded in 1958. Click on the image to watch!
Gillespie played in Paris frequently during Beauford's Paris years and regaled audiences at famous theaters such as the Olympia and the Salle Pleyel.