Live Ideas: Baldwin and Delaney

Professor Rachel Cohen of Sarah Lawrence College provided a wonderful tribute to Beauford for the Les Amis blog in anticipation of moderating a discussion about Beauford and James Baldwin that was scheduled for the New York Live Arts Festival in April 2014.

The video of this session is now on YouTube:

Live Ideas: Baldwin and Delaney

It is an hour and 28 minutes long.

Joining Cohen on stage at the Festival were David A. Leeming, biographer of Beauford and James Baldwin, and Diedra Harris-Kelley, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation.

Screenshot from Live Ideas: Baldwin and Delaney video
From left to right: Diedra Harris-Kelley, David A. Leeming, and Rachel Cohen
Below are several highlights of the session that I found to be of particular interest:

• "Painterly" discussion of Beauford's work by Diedra Harris-Kelley: 14:00 minutes
• David A. Leeming discusses Beauford's life in New York: 21:20 minutes
• Rare footage of a round-table discussion with James Baldwin, Alvin Ailey, Albert Murray, and Romare Bearden about Paris: 35:50 minutes
• Diedra Harris-Kelley describes one of Beauford's portraits of James Baldwin: 41:00 minutes

Portrait of James Baldwin
(1965) Oil on canvas
25.5 x 21.25 inches
Signed and dated lower left
Image courtesy of Levis Fine Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

• Diedra Harris-Kelley describes the color "yellow" from a painter's point of view: 43:35 minutes
• Diedra Harris-Kelley discusses Beauford's "back and forth" between figurative and abstract works: 47:30 minutes
• David A. Leeming discusses the impetus behind Beauford's Rosa Parks series: 51:05 minutes
• David A. Leeming reads the story of his first encounter with Beauford: 53:58 minutes
• Diedra Harris-Kelley responds to a question about Beauford's relationship with the New York School of Modernism: 1:05:48 minutes
• David A. Leeming tells a story about Dark Rapture: 1:10:20 minutes

Dark Rapture
(1941) Oil on canvas
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Beauford in Red

The commemorative plaques that will honor Beauford at two locations in Montparnasse will be lettered in red.

As Les Amis prepares for the installation, I thought it appropriate to post images of several works in which Beauford favored the color red.

Abstract in Orange and Red
(1963) Gouache on wove paper
Image courtesy of Levis Fine Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The Sage Black
(1967) Oil on canvas
Private collection
Image from Artsmia Web site
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Abstraction #12
(1963) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Levis Fine Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Self-portrait (detail)
(1944) Oil on Canvas
Art Institute of Chicago - Gallery 262
Image courtesy of Tim Paulson
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled
(1963) Aquarelle on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image © Discover Paris!
More news about the installation is coming soon. Stay tuned!

New Beauford Delaney Watercolors at Knoxville Museum of Art

On March 14, 2015, I published an article that describes three Beauford Delaney watercolors that are currently on display at the Knoxville Museum of Art.

See them presented by the museum's curator, Stephen C. Wicks, in this 2:38-minute video:

Ascension: A Century of African-American Art at Swann Auction Galleries

Once again, Swann Auction Galleries will make Beauford Delaney works available for purchase during an African-American Art sale. This spring's auction is called "Ascension: A Century of African-American Art." It will be held on Thursday, April 2 at 2:30 PM.

Three Beauford Delaney paintings will be auctioned at this event. Two are portraits and one is an abstract expressionist work.

Untitled (Abstraction in Green)
(1961) Oil on linen canvas
410x275 mm; 16x10 inches
Signed in oil, lower right recto. Dated in oil, lower left recto.
Signed, dated and inscribed "Clamart, Seine" in oil, verso.
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Provenance: gift from from the artist; Don Fink, Paris, thence by descent to his estate; private collection, Paris.

Don Fink was an expatriate artist living in Paris who became part of Beauford Delaney's circle of friends soon after his arrival in Paris in 1953. They showed together in 1956 at Galerie Arnaud in a group exhibition of abstract American painters.

Swann's catalog describes this painting as "a radiant example of Delaney's mid-career abstraction in a warm, yellowish green." Its estimated value is $30,000 to $40,000.

Untitled (Portrait of a Young Man)
(circa 1930-35) Color pastels and charcoal on gray, textured wove paper
597x445 mm; 23x17½ inches
Signed in charcoal, lower left
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist's brother Joseph Delaney; private collection.

The auction catalog qualifies this portrait as "sensitive" and indicates that it was likely created by Beauford soon after he moved to New York. He may have painted it to show at his first solo exhibition, Exhibit of Portrait Sketches by Beauford Delaney, which was held at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library in 1930. The show consisted of five pastel and 10 charcoal portraits.

The estimated value of Untitled (Portrait of a Young Man) is $6,000 to $9,000.

Spanish Youth
(1967-68) Oil on linen canvas
610x457 mm; 24x18 inches.
Signed and dated in oil, lower right.
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; Richard A. Long, Atlanta; thence by descent to his estate.

This painting dates over ten years after Beauford visited Spain with his friend Larry Calcagno in August 1956. The two men visited mutual friend Jim LeGros in Ibiza and were joined by James Baldwin, Baldwin's friend Arnold, and Leslie Schenk. They later traveled to Majorca.

The estimated value of this work is $5,000 to $7,000.

To find out about the buying process, visit the following page on the gallery’s Web site: http://www.swanngalleries.com/auctions/buying/.

For more information about this auction, contact Imani Higginson at .

Walker Art Center in Minneapolis Acquires a Beauford Delaney Painting

Thanks to Milo Bosh of BlackArtistNews.com, I learned of the recent acquisition of a Beauford Delaney painting by Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Walker associate curator Eric Crosby granted Les Amis the following interview about the painting.

Untitled
(circa 1970) Oil on canvas
Collection Walker Art Center
Gift of the Kunin Family, 2014
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Les Amis: How long has Walker Art Center been "in the market" for a Beauford Delaney painting?

Eric Crosby: This is the first work by Beauford Delaney to enter the permanent collection of the Walker Art Center, and it has come to us as a very generous gift of the Kunin Family. The piece, which is an untitled painting from circa 1970, fills a significant gap in the institution’s painting collection. Past curators at the Walker as well as those currently on staff have been familiar with Delaney’s work for a long time, and this has been a rare acquisition opportunity indeed!

Les Amis: What are the other abstract expressionist works in the collection with which Beauford's work dovetails?

Eric Crosby: As an excellent example of the artist’s abstract expressionist work, it dovetails beautifully with a number of key abstract expressionist paintings already in the collection. Among them are Barnett Newman’s The Third (1962), Mark Rothko’s No. 2 (1963), Robert Motherwell’s Untitled (Iberia)(1958), Clyfford Still’s untitled (1950-C) (1950), Joan Mitchell’s Painting 1953 (1953), and many others. This important Delaney canvas will certainly become a mainstay of our future collection installations, especially those that seek to contextualize mid-century abstraction.

Les Amis: What is the provenance of the painting prior to being added to the Regis collection?

Eric Crosby: Our current understanding of the painting’s ownership history is as follows:

• Estate of the artist, Paris, France
• Joseph Delaney, Knoxville, TN
• The Delaney Estate, Knoxville, TN
• Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, NYC
• Myron Kunin Collection, Minneapolis
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Les Amis: Does Walker Art Center plan to acquire additional works by Beauford?

Eric Crosby: We are always looking to expand the Walker’s holdings of works by artists collected in depth. Since this is the first work by Beauford Delaney to enter the collection, we look forward to researching the painting and exploring opportunities to contextualize it further. This canvas represents just one facet of this influential painter’s decades of work.

Les Amis: Is the painting currently on display? If so, in which room?

Eric Crosby: Yes, the work is currently on view through August 2 in the 75 Gifts for 75 Years exhibition in the Target and Friedman Galleries.

More on the Knoxville Museum of Art Acquisition of Beauford Delaney Paintings

As a follow-up to the Les Amis blog post entitled Knoxville Museum of Art Acquires Beauford Delaney Paintings, Stephen C. Wicks - Barbara W. and Bernard E. Bernstein Curator at the Knoxville Museum of Art in Beauford's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee - shares comments about the museum's recent acquisition of several Beauford Delaney paintings and drawings. The number of works acquired has now grown to thirty-seven (37)!

Watercolors make up one of the largest portion of works in the Beauford Delaney estate. I went through the entire contents and selected a group of works on paper that I thought best captured the range of Beauford’s artistic experimentation over a broad span of his career. Of the works on paper we purchased, three are featured in Higher Ground¹.

Untitled, circa 1945 is a city scene in which the artist has distilled his surroundings into a series of flat geometric shapes rendered in radiant colors. The halos around the street lights suggest it is evening, but the glowing scene appears devoid of any trace of shadow.

Untitled, circa 1945
Watercolor on paper
15 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches
Purchased with funds provided by the KMA’s Collectors Circle², 2014
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled (Clamart), 1959 is a fiery composition built of multiple layers of watercolor, gouache, and faint areas of chalk. It appears to radiate heat, as if you are descending into the heart of the sun. I think it’s one of the most exciting abstractions I’ve ever seen, and it possesses a depth and complexity that can only be appreciated by direct viewing. Interestingly, I came across an upside-down signature along the top margin with a notation “Clamart 1958”, which suggests that Delaney originally oriented the painting so that the dark orange portion was at the bottom. He later signed and dated it at the other end “Beauford Delaney 1959."

Untitled (Clamart), 1959
Watercolor and gouache on paper
24 1/2 x 18 inches
Purchased with funds provided by the KMA’s Collectors Circle², 2014
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled (Clamart), 1959 - detail of notation Clamart 1958
Watercolor and gouache on paper
24 1/2 x 18 inches
Purchased with funds provided by the KMA’s Collectors Circle², 2014
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled, 1960 features swirling watercolor marks rendered in a broad range of colors laid out in a square area on a rectangular piece of paper. I’m used to seeing the artist use every inch of his surface, and so this work struck me as interesting and unusual for the fact that he chose this compositional approach. We purchased this work from the estate thanks to funds provided by distinguished collectors Brenda and Larry Thompson.

Untitled, 1960
Watercolor on paper
26 x 19 3/4 inches
Purchased with funds provided by Brenda and Larry Thompson, 2014
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
¹The Knoxville Museum of Art’s exhibition Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee is a permanent installation that traces the development of fine art and craft in the region and the surrounding area over the past century. It tells the largely unknown story of the area’s rich artistic history and its connections to the larger currents of American art. Featured works are drawn from the KMA collection along with selected works on loan from several regional museums and private collections.

²KMA Collectors Circle is a special membership group that supports the museum’s efforts to acquire works of art.

Brooklyn Museum Acquires a Beauford Delaney Painting

Les Amis is pleased to report the acquisition of one of Beauford's paintings by the Brooklyn Museum! The museum purchased the work from the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery. I present excerpts from the museum's press release, dated January 2015, below.

The Brooklyn Museum has purchased a powerful painting by the twentieth-century African American modernist artist Beauford Delaney. Untitled (Fang, Crow, and Fruit) resonates deeply with other major mid-century American works in the collection by artists including Stuart Davis and Marsden Hartley, and significantly advances the Museum’s recent focus on acquiring works by African American artists that derive formal or thematic inspiration from traditional African art.

Untitled (Fang, Crow and Fruit)
(1945) Oil on canvas
25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm)
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art, A. Augustus Healy Fund, and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund , 2014.73.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esq., Court Appointed Administrator
The acquisition marks the fifth anniversary of the Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art, a collecting initiative focusing on works by African American artists created before the mid-twentieth century.

Untitled (Fang, Crow, and Fruit) dates from Delaney’s last decade in New York (before he immigrated to France, his place of residence from 1953 until his death in 1979), when his style evolved from a broad naturalism to a distinctly more commanding expressionism. He was at work in an unheated Greene Street loft at the time, and he had developed a close friendship with the writer James Baldwin, for whom he was a deeply influential early mentor. Both were seeking empowerment as black artists and gay men. Inspired and sustained artistically by a connection to African culture and art, they found support in the writings of Alain Locke, who from the mid-1920s had encouraged young black artists to derive formal inspiration from African sculpture as European modernists had done. They were attentive to Locke’s altered message of the late 1930s, when he urged artists to seek a more direct relationship with their African ancestry and identity by understanding the long-held centrality of art in African life.

In Untitled (Fang, Crow, and Fruit), Delaney arranged the composition as if representing an offering—the bowl of brilliant-yellow fruit—placed before a Fang reliquary figure from Cameroon that was in fact a well-known object that had been published in an important German volume, Negerplastik, in 1920. A bird, perhaps a spirit symbol, hovers over the fruit, while the black calligraphic forms in the background may suggest a shelter and tree in an African setting. The power of this work grows from the electric intensity of Delaney’s palette and the vibration of forms deriving from his highly animated brushwork. The bowl almost appears to spin, and the figure—suggested with deft marks—to rock.

Delaney’s very thick and lively application of paint was influenced by his interactions with Stuart Davis, with whom he had developed a close friendship and shared equal passions for painting and new jazz. Davis’s own more decoratively abstracted compositions would exert an even greater influence on Delaney’s increasingly flattened designs from 1946 until 1953. Marsden Hartley’s paintings, which were showcased in a large exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in the winter of 1944/45, are certain to have been influential on Delaney’s expressionist facture and iconic subject matter as well.

In addition to resonating with important works of American modernism in Brooklyn’s collection, Untitled (Fang, Crow, and Fruit) further strengthens the Museum’s ability to represent the vital dialogue in which African American artists engaged with traditional African art.

Brooklyn Museum
The painting’s original owner was Emanuel Redfield, a noted civil liberties attorney and counsel to the New York chapter of the Artists Equity Association. Delaney may have presented Redfield with the work as a form of payment as early as 1945, the year of its completion, when Redfield’s services were engaged to challenge a landlord who had denied access to apartments on St. Mark’s Place that [James] Baldwin and their circle of friends had planned to use as a shared living and studio space.

With the purchase of Beauford Delaney’s Untitled (Fang, Crow, and Fruit), a complex and vivid narrative enters the orbit of the Brooklyn Museum’s American Identities galleries, where it will go on view in February 2015. Joining important works on view by Eldzier Cortor, Sargent Johnson, and John Biggers, this painting will allow a deeper exploration of how references to African forms and themes in these works enacted a claiming of heritage and identity, in contrast to the references to African art in Eurocentric modernist works that embody distance, difference, and the “other.” The painting additionally offers a fresh opportunity to study the exposure of African art in New York during the interwar years, particularly in the context of the Museum’s important African holdings and their exhibition from the 1920s forward.

The work was acquired for the Brooklyn Museum by Dr. Teresa A. Carbone, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, who has played a leadership role in the creation of the African American purchase fund. The purchase was also made possible by A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund.

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052
Telephone: (718) 638-5000
Fax: (718) 501-6134
www.brooklynmuseum.org

Knoxville Museum of Art Acquires Beauford Delaney Paintings

In an article published in April 2013, Les Amis reported on a Beauford Delaney abstract that was shown at the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA)'s permanent installation entitled Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee.

Scattered Light
(1964) Oil on canvas
36 5/8 X 28 3/4 inches
Knoxville Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Rachael Patterson Young Art Acquisition Reserve, 2015
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator
The painting was on loan. At the time, the museum owned no works by Beauford.

That has since changed. In July 2014, KMA acquired two paintings with funds provided by the KMA Collectors Circle. In August 2014, it acquired nineteen additional works, including Scattered Light. The final payment for this painting was made in January 2015.

The museum is justifiably proud of its collection, given that Knoxville is Beauford's hometown and that the museum owns one work by Beauford's brother, Joseph. Work is currently underway to photograph, mat and frame the acquired Beauford Delaney works. Special attention is being given to those that require conservation work.

Scattered Light still hangs near the Joseph Delaney painting Marble Collegiate Church in the Higher Ground installation.

Joseph Delaney (Knoxville 1904-1991 Knoxville)
(1974-75) Marble Collegiate Church
Oil paint on canvas
72 x 47 3/4 inches
Knoxville Museum of Art, gift of the artist, 1990
Image courtesy of Knoxville Museum of Art

Jazz Concert in the Old New York Synagogue

Beauford loved jazz! He considered it to be "warm, vibrant, and conducive to dreaming and romantic musing."*

During his "New York years" (1929-1953), he painted two works depicting jazz musicians performing in a synagogue.

Jazz Quartet
(1946) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Burt and Patricia Reinfrank
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Jazz concert in the old synagogue, Lower East Side, New York
(ca. 1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I was curious about the setting for these two paintings and decided to do a little research. I learned that there is a black Jewish population in New York City and that the first African-American synagogue in the city was founded in 1919. I also learned that jazz pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith was Jewish and worked as a Hebrew cantor for a black Jewish congregation in Harlem. However, I was unable to find information about the location of the synagogue in the paintings.

Jazz Quartet hung in the Artsmia exposition Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris, which originated at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (November 21, 2004 – February 20, 2005) and was subsequently presented by the Knoxville Museum of Art (April 8 – June 25, 2005), the Greenville County Museum of Art (August 3 – October 2, 2005), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (November 12, 2005 – January 28, 2006).

As a tribute to Beauford's love of jazz, the Philadelphia Museum of Art organized a special event starring Philadelphia jazz pianist Orrin Evans and including a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary film A Great Day in Harlem.

*Quote from Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney

A Christmas Self-portrait

Beauford painted the self-portrait below in December 1972*.

Self-portrait
(1970) Gouache on paper
Collection of David A. Leeming
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Though he had promised his family in Knoxville, TN that he would come home for the holidays that year, he stopped communicating with them and went to James Baldwin's home at Saint-Paul de Vence instead. His mental state was somewhat precarious at the time, and as biographer David A. Leeming states in Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, this can be seen in Beauford's countenance in the painting. His neighborhood in Paris was undergoing massive urban renewal and he was having an increasingly difficult time coping with the change and the knowledge that he would soon need to move.

Yet his visit to Saint-Paul soothed him, and he wrote to his family to tell them he was well. When he returned to Paris, he began to prepare for a solo exposition to be held in March 1973 at the Darthea Speyer Gallery.

*Note that the painting is dated 1970, yet the Leeming biography indicated that Beauford painted it in 1972. Which is correct? Because of Beauford's declining mental health during the 1970s, one could imagine that he did not date the painting correctly. Leeming presumably relied on archival materials to come to the conclusion that Beauford painted this work in 1972, but in the absence of footnotes about this particular painting in Amazing Grace, we may never know!

Beauford at Art Basel Miami Beach - December 4-7, 2014

No fewer than ten (10) Beauford Delaney paintings are being presented by the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery at this year's Art Basel Miami Beach exposition!

Here are images of a couple of the works that are displayed:

Untitled
(1958) Gouache on paper
25 1/2" x 19 5/8"
signed and dated lower right: Beauford Delaney 58
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled
(1959) Gouache on paper
25" x 19 5/8"
signed and dated lower center: Beauford Delaney 59
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Art Basel is recognized as the premier international art show, providing a platform for artists and gallerists from around the world. Three annual shows bring the art world together in some of the world's most exciting venues: Basel, in the heart of Europe; Miami Beach at the nexus of North and South America; and Hong Kong, the gateway to Asia.

To view all of the Delaney paintings exposed by the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, click HERE.

Visit the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery at Art Basel Miami Beach at Booth K4. Hours: Saturday, December 6, Noon - 8 PM; Sunday, December 7, Noon - 6 PM.

For information about the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, visit MichaelRosenfeldArt.com.

Another Delaney Abstract Sells at Auction

Heritage Auctions placed an extraordinary Beauford Delaney abstract painting up for sale during its American Art Signature Auction (New York #5198) on November 17th:

Untitled, circa 1960
Oil on paper mounted on canvas
20-1/2 x 17 inches (52.1 x 43.2 cm)
Image courtesy of www.ha.com
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It once belonged to Dr. Ferdière, who was Beauford's physician and friend. Ferdière worked at the clinic in Nogent where Beauford underwent treatment for acute paranoia after his breakdown in 1961.

Beauford signed this creation at the lower center.

Untitled, circa 1960 - Beauford's signature
Image courtesy of www.ha.com
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The auction also featured works by Georgia O'Keeffe and Man Ray, both of whom Beauford knew.

Beauford's untitled abstract sold for $7500, 25% buyer's premium included.

"Some Negro Artists" - A 1964 Group Exhibition

© Discover Paris!
Fifty years ago, Fairleigh Dickenson University mounted a group exhibition called Some Negro Artists at the Florham-Madison campus in Madison, NJ. It consisted of 37 works by 17 artists, including Beauford, Romare Bearden, Lorenzo Gilcrist, Norman Lewis, and Beauford's close friend, Ellis Wilson.

The catalog, which contains only three images (none of which are of Beauford's work), can be viewed HERE.

Three brief paragraphs in the catalog introduce Beauford to the reader. The first paragraph erroneously lists the year of his birth as 1910 - possibly due to the transposition of the last two digits of his true birth year, 1901. The write-up indicates that Beauford was the recipient of a Farfield [sic] Foundation Grant in 1964 (Beauford gifted part of this grant to Ellis Wilson) and that during the 50s and 60s, he exhibited his work in galleries in "Paris, Madrid, Iserlohn[sic], Germany, and Borderghira [sic], Italy."

Two of Beauford's paintings hung in this show: an oil called Yaddo and a pastel called Head of a Poet. The catalog indicates no date for either work.

The exhibition, which was sponsored by the Subcommittee for Negro Affairs of the Morris County Tercentenary Committee, ran from October 20 to November 20, 1964. The public could view the show from 12 PM to 4 PM daily. Beauford did not attend.

Swann Auction Galleries October 9 African American Fine Art Auction - Results for Beauford's Works

On October 9th at 2:30 PM, Swann Auction Galleries held an African American Fine Art that featured works from the collection of Richard A. Long (1927-2013). Richard was Atticus Haygood Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Emeritus, at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for many years. He was a dear friend of Beauford.

Of the seven Beauford Delaney paintings that were put up for sale at the event, four were purchased.

The yellow, untitled abstract (Lot 13) fetched the most handsome price - $75,000, including buyer's premium*. Beauford painted this in 1964, which was an exceptionally productive year that culminated in his one-man show at the Galerie Lambert in Paris.

Untitled (Abstraction)
(1964) Oil on linen canvas
406x336 mm; 16x13 1/4 inches
Signed, dated and inscribed "Paris" in oil, verso
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford's portrait of Richard (Lot 14) sold for $10,000, including buyer's premium. It was exhibited at the Beauford Delaney retrospective that Richard organized at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1978.

Portrait of Richard A. Long
(1965) Color pastels on cream wove paper
660x508 mm; 26x20 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(Beauford also painted an oil portrait of Richard that is currently on display at the High Museum in Atlanta.)

Kitchen (Lot 17) sold for $5,500, including buyer's premium.

Kitchen
(1970) Watercolor and pencil on cream wove paper
548x450 mm; 21 5/8x17 3/4 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Lot 16, an untitled landscape, sold for $5,250, including buyer's premium. Richard acquired this painting directly from Beauford, who may have painted it during a prolonged trip to the south of France with Bernard Hassell.

Untitled (Landscape)
(1968) Oil monotype on cream wove paper,
laid down to illustration board
548x450 mm; 21 5/8x17 3/4 inches
Signed and dated in ball point pen and blue ink, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
To see the results for all seven paintings, click here.

For more information, contact Alaina McEachin at .

*At auction, there are two prices--the hammer price, or the price at which the item sells during the auction, and the price with the buyer's premium. All auction houses have a buyer's premium that the buyer pays to the auction house on top of the hammer price. Swann's premium is 25% up to and including $100,000. Swann Auction Galleries now reports the "hammer price" and the price that include the buyer's premium in its online catalog.

Clarke Auction Gallery - Past Sales of Beauford's Art

Clarke Auction Gallery sold two Beauford Delaney works in 2007 and 2008, as illustrated below.

Street Scene
(1950) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Charcoal of a Black Woman (1929)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Ronan (Ron) Clarke, owner of the gallery, immigrated to the United States from Ireland twenty-six years ago. He settled in Harlem and married an African-American woman. He was introduced to African-American art at that time and has amassed a considerable collection of these works. He sells a lot of African-American art at his gallery.

Clarke operated a flea market in Manhattan "twenty some odd years" ago and developed a strong network of contacts that continues to bring him interesting pieces, but he has not had the good fortune to come across much of Beauford's work. He told me that he felt fortunate to have found both paintings and said that they were "estate fresh":

Street Scene was found on the Grand Concourse. Where it originated, no one knows.

Charcoal of a Black Woman (Flapper girl) came from an African-American woman in the Bronx as well.

Information about the sales can be found on the ClarkeNY.com Web site:

Street Scene

Charcoal of a Black Woman

Street Scene, an oil painting measuring 47" x 36", fetched the highest price of which I am aware for Beauford's work: $176,250.00.

Richard A. Long collection of Delaney paintings Swann Auction Galleries

On October 9th at 2:30 PM, Swann Auction Galleries is holding an African American Fine Art that features works from the collection of Richard A. Long (1927-2013). Richard was Atticus Haygood Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Emeritus, at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for many years. He was a dear friend of Beauford.

Seven Beauford Delaney paintings will be auctioned at the event. Two are abstract compositions and the remaining five are figurative works.

One of the figurative paintings is a pastel portrait of Richard (Lot 14). It was exhibited at the Beauford Delaney retrospective that Richard organized at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1978. It is signed, dated and inscribed "Paris" in ball point pen and ink at the lower left.

Portrait of Richard A. Long
(1965) Color pastels on cream wove paper
660x508 mm; 26x20 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated value of this work is $15000 - $25000.

(Beauford also painted an oil portrait of Richard that is currently on display at the High Museum in Atlanta.)

Kitchen (Lot 17) is a watercolor on thin wove paper. Inscribed "Paris" and dated in ball point pen and blue ink, lower left, it comes to auction directly from the Long estate. Geneviève Brouard, one of Beauford's dear friends, identifies this kitchen as the one from Beauford's studio at rue Vercingétorix.

Kitchen
(1970) Watercolor and pencil on cream wove paper
548x450 mm; 21 5/8x17 3/4 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated value of this work is $6000 - $9000.

Lot 97 is a magnificent, untitled abstract composition, signed in ink and ball point pen at the lower left. It was shown in the exposition entitled An Artistic Friendship: Beauford Delaney and Lawrence Calcagno in 2001 / 2002 and it was originally owned by Calcagno. This painting is from the same period as the diptych shown at the Beauford Delaney: Internal Light exposition at Levis Fine Art in 2013.

Untitled
(1956) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x305 mm; 18x12 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated value of this work is $8000 - $12000.

To see the other paintings in the online catalog, click here.

For more information, contact Alaina McEachin at .

Beauford and Pablo Picasso

Beauford was influenced by the work of Pablo Picasso during his New York and Paris years.

Portrait of Pablo Picasso
Oil on canvas, 46 cm x 38 cm
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Christian Parramon
In New York, his friends and mentors, Alfred Steiglitz and Stuart Davis, were strong proponents of studying the works of European modernist painters such as Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, and Cézanne. According to David A. Leeming, Beauford's only biographer, Beauford developed a "theoretical interest in cubism as represented by Braque and Picasso."

In Paris, Beauford took a course in modern art featuring Braque, Picasso, and Vlaminck at the Musée d'Art Moderne. He would even meet Picasso in a gallery.

Beauford painted the portrait of Picasso shown above during his Paris years. The exact date is unknown.

Sold!!! Two Delaneys at Swann Auction Galleries June 2014 African American Fine Art Auction

Both of the Beauford Delaney paintings made available for purchase during Swann Auction Galleries' "The Shape of Things to Come" African American Fine Art Auction sold on Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

The untitled abstract (Lot 16), shown below, is an oil painting on wove paper. Affixed to card stock, it is signed and dated in ink on the mount at the lower left.

Untitled (Abstract composition)
(1958) Oil on wove paper
750x560 mm; 29 1/2x22 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This painting sold for $10,000, buyer's premium included*.

The second painting, Gaggame (Lot 62), is a watercolor on thin wove paper. It is signed, titled, dated and inscribed "France" in blue ink and ball point pen at the lower right.

Gaggame
(1969) Watercolor on wove paper
240x320 mm; 9 3/8x12 1/2 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for $5000, buyer's premium included*.

*At auction, there are two prices--the hammer price, or the price at which the item sells during the auction, and the price with the buyer's premium. All auction houses have a buyer's premium that the buyer pays to the auction house on top of the hammer price. Swann's premium is 20%. Swann Auction Galleries now reports the "hammer price" and the price that include the buyer's premium in its online catalog.

Beauford at Swann Auction Galleries: June 2014 Sale

Swann Auction Galleries is having a summer sale of African American Fine Art this year. Called "The Shape of Things to Come," it will take place at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

Two Beauford Delaney paintings will be auctioned at the event. One is abstract and the other is figurative.

The abstract painting (Lot 16) is untitled. Affixed to card stock, it is signed and dated in ink on the mount at the lower left. It comes to the auction block from a private collection in New York.

Untitled (Abstract composition)
(1958) Oil on wove paper
750x560 mm; 29 1/2x22 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated value of this work is $10000 - $15000.

Gaggame (Lot 62) is a watercolor on thin wove paper. Signed, titled, dated and inscribed "France" in blue ink and ball point pen at the lower right, it also comes to auction from a private collection in New York.

Gaggame
(1969) Watercolor on wove paper
240x320 mm; 9 3/8x12 1/2 inches
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated value of this work is $5000 - $7000.

For more information, contact Alaina McEachin at .

Astonishing Sale of a Beauford Delaney Abstract

The Beauford Delaney abstract shown in the image below was auctioned by Drouot on April 5, 2014 in Lyon, France.

La Gazette Drouot magazine article
Image by Discover Paris!
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
While it was no surprise that the painting sold, what astonished Drouot was the price for which it sold. The estimated sale price was 700 euros (approximately $950), but when all was said and done, the work fetched a handsome 20,400 euros* (approximately $27,760)!

The untitled abstract measures 22x33 cm (8x13 inches) and is signed and inscribed "Bon Nassaine Hovard" on the back of the canvas. It came from the Darthea Speyer Gallery in Paris.

The article in La Gazette Drouot describes an intense bidding war over the painting that took place between those in the room and potential buyers on several phone lines. The magazine says that the purchase price "pulverized" the estimates for the sale.

La Gazette Drouot magazine article - detail
Image by Discover Paris!
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Presumably, the successful buyer lives in the U. S. - the article says that the painting will cross the Atlantic as a result of the sale.

*Buyer's premium included