All That Jazz

Last week's post on "Beauford at the 'L'Age du Jazz' exhibition" inspired me to look at all the works published on this blog that have the word "jazz" in the title. I have regrouped them below. Enjoy!

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

Untitled (Jazz Club)
(c.1950) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Jazz Band
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Jazz

(1966) Oil on canvas

French Embassy of Taipai, Taiwan
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of France's Fonds national d'art contemporain

Beauford at the 1967 "L'Age du Jazz" exhibition

In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, biographer David Leeming reports that "In November the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in France bought a Delaney painting entitled Jazz from 'L'Age du Jazz' exhibition."

Jazz

(1966) Oil on canvas

French Embassy of Taipai, Taiwan
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of France's Fonds national d'art contemporain

This show was held at the Palais Galliera, which is also known as the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris. It ran from April 29 to May 24, 1967.

Palais Galliera
Image in the public domain
I was fortunate to find the catalog for the exhibition at the Centre Pompidou's Kandinsky library, but was disappointed to see that it is a small publication and that with the exception of the cover, it is printed in black and white.

Catalog cover for L'Age du Jazz exhibition
© Discover Paris!
The names of the artists whose works were shown at the exhibition are printed in alphabetical order and I quickly found the page where names beginning with the letter "D" were printed. Beauford is not mentioned on this page.

I found his name on the last page of the catalog, under the header "Addendum." It gives Beauford's information as follows:

BEAUFORD-DELANEY
né en 1910 [sic] à Knoxville, Tennessee chanteur de blues [sic]
Portrait. huile sur toile 1965

The entry does not include a photo of the work he contributed.

Despite the errors in Beauford's listing, the description of the work (blues singer, portrait, 1965 oil on canvas) is evocative of Beauford's portrait of Marian Anderson, which is now part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' permanent collection.

Marian Anderson
(1965) Oil on canvas
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
J. Harwood and Louise B. Cochrane Fund for American Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
A second listing under "Addendum" in the catalog attributes Jazz to another artist.

Interestingly, a dossier compiled in 2010 by the Fonds national d'art contemporain on Beauford Delaney works owned by the French government mentions "Portrait of Marian Anderson" as though it might be part of the title ofJazz, but only presents an image and details for Jazz.

Given this tangled web of circumstances, it is tempting to speculate that Beauford's Portrait of Marian Anderson was shown at the Palais Galliera during l'Age du Jazz!

Swann Auction Galleries African American Fine Art Sale - Results Are in

Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale was held on October 8, 2019. All three Beauford Delaney works on paper that were available for purchase were sold.

Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black) (Lot 39) sold for $10,000, including buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $10,000 - $15,000.

Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black)
(Circa 1958-60) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x298 mm; 18x11 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed "Clamart" in ink, lower center
© Estate of Beauford Delaney

Lot 54, a predominantly green untitled work on paper dated 1962, sold for $10,000 with buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $8,000 - $12,000.

Untitled
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
640x490 mm; 25 1/4x19 1/4 inches
Signed and dated in ink, lower left.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
And No. 1, Yellow and Green (Lot 55) sold for $15,000, including buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $10,000 - $15,000.

No. 1, Yellow and Green
(1964) Gouache on Arches paper
762x572 mm; 30x22 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right.
Titled in pencil, lower left verso.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney

Swann's buyer's premium for items sold at up to and including $100,000 is 25% of the purchase price.

Three Beauford Delaney Works at Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale

It's that time again!

Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale is being held on October 8, 2019. Three Beauford Delaney works on paper are now available for purchase.

Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black) was created when Beauford lived in Clamart. It comes from the original collection of James and Gloria Joyce, whom James Baldwin introduced to Beauford in July 1958. The Joyces would go on to commission several paintings from Beauford, including a portrait of James Joyce.

Lot 39
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black)
(Circa 1958-60) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x298 mm; 18x11 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed "Clamart" in ink, lower center
© Estate of Beauford Delaney

The predominantly green untitled work on paper that Swann has designated as Lot 54 was created during Beauford's first year at his studio on rue Vercingétorix. He experienced many ups and downs during this year, which was devoted to establishing a "new normal" after his suicide attempt and hospitalization in 1961.

Lot 54
Untitled
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
640x490 mm; 25 1/4x19 1/4 inches
Signed and dated in ink, lower left.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The third work dates from 1964. The provenance notation on Swann's Web site indicates that it is currently part of a private collection in London. From Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, we know that Beauford received a Fairfield Foundation grant of $3500 that began in 1964. His brother Emery visited him that summer, accompanied by wife Gertrude and daughter Imogene. And the year culminated with his one-man show at the Galerie Lambert on rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile.

Lot 55
No. 1, Yellow and Green
(1964) Gouache on Arches paper
762x572 mm; 30x22 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right.
Titled in pencil, lower left verso.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney

For more information about the auction, click HERE.

Beauford Delaney: A Study in Portraiture

On August 6, 2019, the Wells International Foundation (WIF) announced the opening for Beauford Delaney: A Study in Portraiture. This digital exhibition, curated by Maija Brennan, examines the evolution of Beauford’s style as he rendered images of persons he loved and admired.

Brennan is WIF’s 2019 summer intern. A rising senior at Smith College, she is majoring in art history – with a concentration in museum studies – and French. She is interested in learning how non-profit organizations work to fund artists and help them show their work and is passionate about making art available to the general public. She is especially interested in exploring how contemporary artists who struggle to promote their work can “even the playing field” using technology.

Maija Brennan
Wells International Foundation 2019 Summer Intern
Image courtesy of Wells International Foundation
WIF’s founder and CEO, Dr. Monique Y. Wells, learned of Brennan’s interest in WIF’s Summer Internship Program through Columbia Global Centers | Paris. Brennan was finishing her junior year abroad there when her French professor, who also served as Associate Director of Smith College in Paris, introduced her to Dr. Wells. She had been made aware of the 2016 art exhibition, Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color, that WIF organized at Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and was excited about the prospect of creating a project around this artist’s work.

Brennan spent six weeks compiling research on Delaney’s art production, focusing on his portraiture and how these works represent some of the most important relationships in his life. She investigated the evolution of the composition and style of Delaney’s portraits as he matured as an artist and produced increasing numbers of Abstract Expressionist paintings. Based on this research, she selected several works for the exhibition.

Beauford Delaney: A Study in Portraiture presents portraits from three periods in Delaney’s life – the years he spent in Boston, New York City, and Paris. A fourth segment of the exhibition presents several self-portraits from the New York and Paris years. A timeline of the artist’s life provides additional perspective on each segment of the exhibition.

A large part of the challenge of creating this exhibition in a format that is easily navigable and pleasing to view on all kinds of devices, from widescreen desktop computers to smartphones. Viewers can click on each portrait to access a larger image and one to two paragraphs of information on a dedicated page about the work.

Another important aspect of the process was planning and implementing the marketing strategy that would make the exhibition known to the public. Brennan evaluated how to maximize her existing social media connections, strengthen profiles and make new connections that she will heavily rely upon in her professional life, and incorporate the many blog posts she wrote about Delaney’s portraits into her strategy. She formulated a plan over the course of a week and implemented the plan during the last week of her internship.

Instagram post announcing A Study in Portraiture
Detail of Café Scene (1966)
Image courtesy of Maija Brennan
On July 29, Brennan presented an extensive preview of the exhibition to a study abroad group from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. (Knoxville was Beauford’s hometown.) The students were enrolled in the "Art History in Paris" course taught by Professor Mary Campbell. Professor Campbell wrote the critique of A Study in Portraiture found on the exhibition Web site.

Maija Brennan presents exhibition to UTK students
Image courtesy of the Wells International Foundation
A total of twenty-one (21) portraits are displayed in the exhibition. The full depth and breadth of Delaney’s artistic genius are represented in the works selected for this online show.

Brennan had the following to say about the exhibition:

Beauford Delaney was an astonishingly talented painter whose works hang in some of today’s most culturally and artistically important institutions. I hope that this digital exhibit can be a reference point and educational tool for those who want to further their understanding of his life and art in the same way they would have had they visited one of these institutions. I also hope that visitors find the exhibition to be a place to simply celebrate the beautiful and sensitively rendered portraits he created throughout his lifetime.

To access Beauford Delaney: A Study in Portraiture, click HERE.

Beauford Delaney and the Mysterious Odalisque

By Maija Brennan

Maija Brennan is the Wells International Foundation's 2019 summer intern. A rising senior at Smith College, she majors in French and art history with a concentration in museum studies. Her eight-week internship focuses on researching the life and art of painter Beauford Delaney and creating an online exhibition of a selection of his works.

As a way to capture likeness or a moment in time, or to represent some key element regarding their identity and the art they create, self-portraits of visual artists date back hundreds of years. Beauford Delaney is known for his elegant and thoughtful portraits of others; he memorialized his friends and family through the loving nature in which he put paint down on the canvas. Alongside those around him, he represented his own face dozens of times throughout his career. His self-portraits are reflections of how he perceived himself outwardly and inwardly.

Self-Portrait with Odalisque, a painting completed in 1943, is a thought-provoking work of art in terms of the subject matter and the intentions behind it. The oil painting depicts Beauford seated on a stool in the lower right hand corner, a guitar in his lap. To his right, a few feet away, is a topless black woman lounging on a mattress. They are surrounded by trees and foliage, a body of water behind them. The portrait is done in a painterly manner - the brush strokes are visible and free, the colors lively and bright.

Untitled (Self-Portrait with Odalisque)
(c. 1943) Oil on panel
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
The original definition of an “odalisque” is a chambermaid in a Turkish seraglio. Seraglios were the living quarters of the women in Turkish households, and odalisques served the women and mistresses of the home. Beginning in the 19th century, many artists from Western civilizations began traveling to countries where odalisques lived - places dubbed “oriental”: The Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. Because of European political interests in “The Orient,” artists and writers from countries such as France and Great Britain became fascinated with the culture and aesthetics of Eastern civilizations that were worlds away from what they knew as familiar. Some of the most notorious and celebrated works by Eugène Delacroix and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, two French 19th-century painters, were “oriental” scenes: Turkish baths, village scenes, and richly decorated interior spaces.

Odalisques became frequent subjects in such paintings, and the definition of their social standing and occupation took on new meanings through a Western lens as European artists depicted them as concubines or consorts to the wealthy men with whom they resided. From Ingres, to Picasso and Matisse later in the 20th century, it became common practice to represent these women as sultry and erotic, more often than not lounging on their sides naked and gazing at the viewer. Depictions of “oriental” scenes and people fascinated Western artists and viewers; the “exotic nature” of different ways of life allowed Europeans to both admire the aesthetics of certain things and judge practices that did not correspond with their Western values and beliefs.

Within the context of odalisques in the canon of art history, it is curious that Beauford would decide to depict such a figure in one of his paintings, let alone a self-portrait. During the 1940s, he was in New York City, in the midst of his Greene Street era, and animated works of art representing the scenes and objects he saw in his everyday life were often experiments in abstraction and use of color. It was during this time that Beauford was becoming increasingly interested in modern artists and the techniques they used, both the United States and abroad. A big fan of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, it is possible that he studied and admired their works with odalisques. Perhaps he painted the woman in his self-portrait to create an image of himself as a global modernist, one knowledgeable in the trend of “Orientalism” that had been prominent at the turn of the century.

Self-portraits are oftentimes explorations of new techniques for artists, a way to navigate new methods of creating art. Self-Portrait with Odalisque is more figurative and narrative than the abstract cityscapes and portraits Beauford was completing at the time, so he could have been experimenting with a new method of storytelling in his paintings.

As a gay man wary of sexual promiscuity and eroticism, it is unusual that Beauford would choose to depict a woman that was a symbol for such traits in Western art history. Before completing Dark Rapture (1941), his first portrait of James Baldwin, the girlfriend of Emile Capouya (the man who introduced Baldwin and Beauford) insisted that he paint a nude portrait of her. Beauford was always shy in the figure drawing classes he took at the Art Students’ League with regard to nude portraits and was relieved to know it was against the rules for black artists to be present when there was a white model. The presence of the odalisque, who is black, may be a nod to his painting experience with Emile’s girlfriend, or to the racist rules that were in place in artistic organizations at the time.

Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (Luncheon on the Grass)
Edouard Manet
(1863) Oil on Canvas
Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France
Google Art Project - Image in Public Domain
The immediate comparison that comes to mind when viewing Self-Portrait with Odalisque is its similarities with Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863), the ground-breaking painting by Edouard Manet. Producing an outcry from the Paris Salon for the distorted use of perspective and the “pornographic” scene of two business men with scantily-clad women, this painting became infamous in Manet’s time. Certain parallels between Beauford’s self-portrait and Manet’s scene are striking. Beauford’s disengagement with the woman is reminiscent of the dynamics among the figures of Le déjeuner sur l’herbe - the two business men seem to be oblivious of the two naked women accompanying them on the picnic. The setting of Manet’s painting, a forest with a body of water in the distance, appears in Beauford’s self-portrait as well.

Yet another compelling aspect to Beauford’s work of art is the space he and the woman are occupying. Is this an allusion to Manet, or did he have a specific location in mind, perhaps a special place from Knoxville or New York?

Beauford did not create art in a vacuum. He was entrenched in the political, social and artistic implications of the United States and Europe of the time, and Self-Portrait with Odalisque reflects many aspects of this reality. The painting is intriguing in that it raises more questions than answers when examined closely. A gorgeous exploration of color and painterly brushstrokes, it is peculiar in the context of his other works. Whether a way to put himself in the shoes of the modernist icons before him, or an exercise in painting the elusive nude female figure, the inclusion of the odalisque in this self-portrait is a fascinating choice with no clear rationale.

Beauford and the Flapper Girl

by Maija Brennan

Maija Brennan is the Wells International Foundation's 2019 summer intern. A rising senior at Smith College, she majors in French and art history with a concentration in museum studies. Her eight-week internship focuses on researching the life and art of painter Beauford Delaney and creating an online exhibition of a selection of his works.

Beauford Delaney’s numerous and vastly diverse portraits were not only a way to capture the outer and inner vision of the subject, but also a means for him to express personal thoughts and emotions. During the first formative years of his new life in New York City, which began in 1929, he earned income by drawing portraits of the dancers at Billy Pierce’s Dancing School and the high society women who came through the establishment. These pencil and charcoal drawings reflect the classical training he received during his Boston years, when he learned how to realistically render facial features.

Charcoal of a Black Woman (1929)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Charcoal of a Black Woman (Flapper Girl) from 1929 is representative of this period in Beauford’s life. This drawing is a profile of a girl adorned in a cloche hat, the headpiece symbolic of flappers from the decade. The term “flapper” was invented during the 1920s to describe a new wave of Western society women who were defying the societal norms and behavior of the era. Flapper girls were characterized by their short dresses and skirts (a departure from the more modest women’s fashion of the 19th century), their short bobbed hair, and their love of jazz music and dancing. Seen as more flamboyant and promiscuous than what was acceptable for women in the past, flappers represented a movement of women taking control of their own autonomy and sexuality.

Flapper Dresses by Lidiqnati
Gold Yellow Dress
FANDOM Community CC-BY-SA license
When we think of depictions of flapper girls today, even in 2019, our minds oftentimes follow this narrative. John Held, a well-known cartoonist during the 1920s, popularized the image that we associate them with in the 21st century: brazen and free-spirited girls dancing with and kissing men. With this in mind, Beauford’s portrait of a flapper girl becomes a thought-provoking one, as its technique and depiction contrast starkly with other illustrations of these women that were being produced at the time.

Delia Delaney's photo of Beauford
Fair use claim
This photograph of a young Beauford Delaney, which belonged to his mother, Delia, creates an interesting juxtaposition with the above portrait. Even at first glance, the physical similarities between Beauford’s profile and those of the flapper girl are apparent. There is no photographic evidence of the woman in the charcoal drawing to compare with this artistic portrayal, but her prominent nose and slightly protruding upper lip bear a striking resemblance to Beauford’s features in Delia’s photograph. One can imagine that he used his own facial profile as a guide for the portrait.

Beauford’s portraits of women are far fewer in number than the ones of men, and while there is no clear reason for why this is, Charcoal of a Black Woman (Flapper girl) provides a platform for an analysis of his sentiments or wariness regarding modern women of his time. In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, David Leeming writes that Beauford was often concerned or “offended” by his brother’s “excessive interest in women,” believing it would “drain his natural talent.” The opposing sexualities between Beauford and Joseph proved to be a point of contention, as Joe, in the same manner in which his brother didn’t trust women, did not want to associate with Beauford’s queer companions.

Eloise Johnson wrote an article on the concept of the “femme fatale” titled “Out of the Ashes: Cultural Identity and Marginalization in the Art of Beauford Delaney” for Notes in the History of Art. In it, she notes that the 19th century’s notion of promiscuous women, or “femme fatales,” was that they were capable of eroding a man’s natural and creative talents through their allure. It is possible that Beauford was wary of such women, the ones he saw in Joe’s life and in his daily excursions around New York City. Flapper girls were the “femme fatales” of the 1920s, and his portrait of this one may represent a desire to “mute” certain qualities associated with the flapper girl stereotype. Her cloche hat is visible, but that is all the information readable to discern her as a flapper. Her facial features are rather masculine, as noted in the comparison with Delia Delaney’s photograph. She is visible only from the neck up; her fashion choice is not rendered in the illustration. The bright colors Beauford became renowned for in later years were not part of his visual vocabulary at this point in time, yet it is interesting to note that he made the decision to portray this flapper girl in black charcoal, rather than pastels. Such a choice in medium creates more of a somber effect, not what is typically imagined when thinking of the vivacious colors associated with flappers of the 20s. His subject appears immersed in thought, engaged in a moment of stillness from a life of jiving and smoking in jazz clubs.

Beauford’s portrait of a flapper girl from 1929 is a fascinating juxtaposition to the culture and media representations of flappers from the era. Whether a subtle indicator of Beauford’s own sentiments revolving flapper girls, or an attempt to subvert the narrative often associated with them, Charcoal of a Black Woman (Flapper Girl) is meaningful nonetheless in the chronology of his life as an artist and portraitist.

Two Beauford Delaney Works Sold at Separate Auctions in Paris

Beauford's work is appearing more and more frequently in sales at Paris auction houses. On June 12, two of his works were sold at auction - each by a different establishment.

Both works were painted in 1963, the year during which Beauford participated in group shows at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles at the Musée d'Art Moderne and the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, Switzerland. Biographer David Leeming indicates that Beauford wrote to Henry Miller in July 1963, saying that he was "trying to merge color and form into the essences of things felt and remembered."

ADER Nordmann listed Composition, a stunning red and yellow abstract, at its Post War and Contemporary Art sale.

Composition
(1963) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated, rear
41 x 33 cm; 16.14 x 12.99 in
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

This painting belonged to Hart Leroy Bibbs, a long-term Paris expatriate who made a name for himself in literature and the visual arts as a poet, actor, painter, sculptor, and photographer.

The estimated sale price for Composition was 10,000€ to 15,000€. It sold for 27,000€ (hammer price) plus an additional 28% for buyer's fees, bringing the total purchase price to 34,560€.

Millon proposed a luminous gouache from a private collection in its Post War & Contemporary Art sale, which began 30 minutes after the ADER sale.

Untitled
(1963) Gouache on paper
Signed and dated, bottom left
32.5 x 50.3 cm; 12.79 x 19.8 in
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Its estimated price was 6,000€ to 8,000€. It sold for 7,805€, including a 30% buyer's fee.

Beauford and "The Rhythm of New York"

In the book entitled Making Race: Modernism and “Racial Art” in America, author Jacqueline Francis devotes roughly two pages of text to Beauford's work from the early New York years in her chapter on "Type/Face/Mask: Racial Portraiture." She cites a quote that Beauford gave to the New York Telegraph in a 1930 interview:

"I never drew a decent thing until I felt the rhythm of New York. New York has a rhythm as distinct as the beating of a human heart. And I'm trying to put it on canvas..."

Today I'm sharing images of a few of the paintings Beauford created in the years subsequent to this interview to capture the landscape of New York.

Greene Street
(1940) Oil on canvas
Image by André Moran from the Artsmia Web site
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Greenwich Village
(1945) Oil on canvas
Image by Manu Sasoonian, from Amazing Grace
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Exchange Place
(1943) Oil on panel
Image Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York , NY
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled (Washington Square Park)
(1952) Oil on canvas
Myron Kunin Collection of American Art
Minneapolis Institute of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled (Trees)
(c. 1945) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Beauford's Post-War Art

Within the last six months, Beauford's work has been sold at two auctions whose titles reference the Post-war (WWII) period: Christie's Post-war to Present sale and Ader Nordmann's Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) sale.

I recently came across an archival Web site for a major exhibition entitled Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965, which delved extensively into what transpired in the art world in the aftermath of World War II. The site describes the exhibition as

"an in-depth, global study, the exhibition shows painting, sculpture, installation, collage, performance, film, artist books, documents, photography, in total more than 350 works by 218 artists from 65 countries."

I was pleased to find that two of Beauford's paintings were included in this show, which ran from October 14, 2016 through March 26, 2017. It was held at Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany.

One of the works was a portrait of James Baldwin, currently held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Portrait of James Baldwin
(1945) Oil on canvas
Philadelphia Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The other was a yellow abstract held by the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.

Untitled
(c.1958) Oil on canvas
signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
The exhibition was divided into eight chapters and the artists whose works were shown were listed in one or more of these chapters. Beauford's name was listed in the chapters "Form Matters" and "New Images of Man."

The essay for the chapter entitled "Form Matters" indicates that the exhibition

"emphasizes the affinity of ideas and materials among artists who emigrated to the U.S. from Europe. It also documents the encounters of artists from around the world who gathered in such metropolitan centers as Paris, London, and Mexico City; and reviews the proximity and circulation of art works in international exhibitions and small press publications."

The essay that describes "New Images of Man" indicates that

"Philosophers and artists sought to inquire more deeply into human nature itself, in debates that included the discourses of négritude and existentialism, and the rights of individuals and groups within larger (often oppressive) social and political entities. 'New Images' features pictorial versions of such inquiries, in which humans often appear battered, deformed by the horror of modern life, rent by the question of their own value."

In visiting the Web pages that present the works included in each chapter, I found an image of Beauford's abstract in the "Form Matters" section.

However, the image of his portrait of James Baldwin was included in the chapter called "Realisms." The essay for this section focuses primarily on art produced in socialist / communist countries, but it also mentions that the section includes "ideologically programmatic art by such U.S. artists as Norman Rockwell, who was associated with realist rendering and popular audiences."

Another Beauford Abstract Sells at Auction

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Help us finalize the first full-length documentary about Beauford and screen it at this year's Cannes Film Festival!
Click on the following link to give:
Cannes Screening for Beauford Delaney Documentary

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Swann Auction Galleries held its spring African-American Fine Art Sale on April 4. Three Beauford Delaney works were made available for purchase.

Untitled (Still Life) is an exquisite example of Beauford's early work and is one of the rare still lifes that he is known to have created. In 1932, the year from which this work dates, a reviewer described his work as displaying "careful, deliberate draughtsmanship."

Untitled (Still Life)
(1932) Color pastels on green wove paper
584x419 mm; 23x16 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pastel, lower right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated sale price for this piece was set at $25,000 - $30,000.

Beauford created the untitled abstract shown below in 1963. In Amazing Grace, biographer David Leeming indicates that Beauford was especially inspired to paint that spring and summer.

Untitled (Red and Yellow Composition)
(1963) Watercolor and pencil on thin wove paper
660x508 mm; 12 1/2x9 1/2 inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled (Red and Yellow Composition), which was once owned by James and Gloria Jones, was shown in the Studio Museum in Harlem exhibition entitled Collected. Propositions on the Permanent Collection in 2009. Its estimated sale price was $6,000 - $9,000.

The final Beauford Delaney work offered for sale was Portrait of a Bearded Young Man Reading, dated 1971-1972. Leeming describes the portraiture from this period as being "vehicles for Beauford's concern with color and the production of light" and says that Beauford's purpose in painting portraits during this time seemed to have been more about celebrating the art of painting itself than about portraying the inner essence of his subjects.

Portrait of a Bearded Young Man Reading
(1971-72) Oil on linen canvas
647x546 mm; 25 1/2x21 1/4 inches
Signed and dated "1972" in pencil, lower left
Signed and dated "1971" in pencil, lower right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The estimated sale price for this painting was $7,000 - $10,000.

Untitled (Red and Yellow Composition) was the only work that sold during the auction. It fetched a hammer price of $17,000, which increased to $21,250 with the addition of the buyer's premium*.

*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 in addition to the hammer price. The buyer’s premium for items purchased directly through Swann is 25%. Swann Auction Galleries now reports the "hammer price" and the price that include the buyer's premium in its online catalog.

Christie's Sells Beauford's Abstraction No. 4

Beauford's Abstraction No. 4 was auctioned by Christie's New York during its Post-War to Present sale on February 28.

Abstraction No. 4
(ca. 1965) Oil on canvas
51 x 38 1/8 in. (129.5 x 96.8 cm.)
signed 'Beauford Delaney' (upper right)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The seller acquired the painting from Beauford's brother, Joseph, who acquired it from Beauford.

Abstraction No. 4's estimated sale price was $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $387,000, including a buyer's premium of 20%.

For more information about the Post-War to Present sale, click HERE.

Beauford at Christie's New York

A beautiful yellow abstract by Beauford is being auctioned by Christie's New York during its Post-War to Present sale on February 28.

Abstraction No. 4
(ca. 1965) Oil on canvas
51 x 38 1/8 in. (129.5 x 96.8 cm.)
signed 'Beauford Delaney' (upper right)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The date given for the painting is circa 1965. In November of that year, Beauford wrote the following to his dear friend, Henry Miller:

"Something has happened to my color and the paintings seem to have sunlight and the feeling sometimes of all you wonderful people it has been my privilege to have as friends and architects of the spirit."

Abstraction No. 4 seems to embody this spirit. It is listed as Lot 3 in the Christie's catalog and its estimated sale price is $100,000 to $150,000.

For more information about the sale, click HERE.

Beauford in Ink

From what I've seen over the years, Beauford rarely used ink when he created colored abstract works on paper. Because of a recent inquiry regarding the sale of one of his paintings from Darthea Speyer's collection at Christie's in Paris in 2010, I was reminded of this beautiful work on paper, which was sold at the same auction.

Untitled
(1961) Ink, inkwash, and aquarelle on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford signed and dated this work and dedicated it as follows:

"Mallorca 1961 for miss Darthea Speyer"

Beauford traveled to San Telmo in Mallorca in late August 1961 with Charley and Gita Boggs; their son, Gordon, and Joe and Bernice O'Reilly. The Boggses were dear, long-time friends who had sent out a plea for funds to pay for Beauford's medical expenses after his mental breakdown in Greece the month before. They took responsibility for him upon his return to France while they and other friends sought a solution for his precarious physical and mental state. Beauford had traveled to Greece to meet Darthea Speyer; it was she who organized his medical care in Greece and his return to France.

From biographer David Leeming's account of this trip in Amazing Grace, we know that Beauford was soothed by the company of Gita and Bernice and that he "even began to do some watercolors."

In this work, the brilliant yellow background is overlaid by wide, irregular, sinuous bands of black with smudged to feathery edges, some of which are tinged with blue and / or outlined in white. These latter areas almost seem electric. Perhaps we can interpret the black bands as the darkness that permeated his spirit during these difficult days and the "electric" zones as sparks of hope that he would once again feel whole and happy in the light represented by the yellow backdrop.

The only other colored ink abstract work that I recall seeing was shown in the 2016 Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition in Paris.

Untitled
(1956) Inks on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
1956 was the first year Beauford stayed in Clamart. Richard A. Long, who organized the first retrospective of Beauford’s work at the Studio Museum of Harlem in 1978, described works from this period as being characterized “either by a somber palette or by the sheer power of clashing color masses”.

Here, we are clearly in the realm of the latter. The red mass in the center of the paper projects boldly upward at a slight angle, while the tortuous, underlying black mass leads the eye downward in opposition. The red mass seems rigid and inanimate, while the black seems fluid, even serpentine, with the head of the coiled snake poised to strike.

Swaths of lighter color soften the work while simultaneously enhancing the contrast between its two main thrusts of energy, each of which represents power in a different form.

Beauford in God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin

Dark Rapture is the first portrait that Beauford painted of James Baldwin.

Dark Rapture
(1941) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is one of three featured works of art by Beauford in the exhibition entitled God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin, curated by writer Hilton Als and showing at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York. New York Times writer Holland Cotter describes Dark Rapture as the centerpiece of the show.

God Made My Face - Dark Rapture
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery

God Made My Face is Als' piercingly personal look at Baldwin's life and work. The first, autobiographical section of the two-part show, called "The Walker in the City," presents Baldwin in New York and Paris. Visitors will find it in the 525 Gallery. This is the section in which Beauford's paintings are hung.

Rehearsal, a 1952 figurative painting, hangs next to a photo of Baldwin's stepfather, David Baldwin (who was a preacher).

Beauford's Rehearsal and photo of David Baldwin
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
An untitled Beauford Delaney abstract from 1963 hangs next to two black & white photos of 1900s Paris by Eugène Atget.

Beauford's Untitled and Atget photos
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
Other artists whose works appear in the show include Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Sedat Pakay, Glenn Ligon, and Kara Walker. One of these artists, Marlene Dumas, contributed a series of fourteen portraits called Baldwin and, 2014-2018 to the show - including one of Baldwin and one of Beauford. Beauford's portrait hangs at the far left of the series.

Marlene Dumas series
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery

Beauford Delaney, 2018
Marlene Dumas
Ink, graphite, and metallic acrylic on paper
DUMMA0818P1
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
In an article published in The New Yorker, Als describes Beauford as Baldwin's "other father, a gay father." He is planning to curate a show of Beauford's work later this year.


God Made My Face is on display through February 16, 2019.


David Zwirner Gallery
525 and 533 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212-727-2070

*************
Listen to this interview with Hilton Als about God Made My Face. From 5:06 to 10:22, Als and interviewer Savona Bailey-McClain talk about Beauford and James Baldwin.

Beauford and Bob Thompson at the Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is taking full advantage of a long term loan of the Myron Kunin Collection of American Art*. Robert Cozzolino, Mia's Patrick and Aimee Butler Curator of Paintings, shared information about Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson, the most recent installation that explores the strengths and character of Kunin's collector's eye.

Entry to Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson
Image courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art
Kunin collected several works by Bob Thompson, a painter who, like Beauford, spent time in New York and Paris. Both artists worked in the Abstract Expressionist style. They participated in a group show along with fellow artist Abe Rattner at the American Artists' Center in Paris in 1962. In a scholarly article published in Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (1999), author Geoffrey Jacques says the following about Thompson:

"His sense of color and his way of applying paint may have had their roots in art history (I find echoes of Matisse, and, to some extent, Beauford Delaney)..."

Cozzolino thought it would be good to give Mia visitors a chance to view these paintings and created the exhibition to coincide with Black History Month tours that the museum is hosting in February. It consists of 15 works - nine by Thompson, four by Beauford, one by Jan Müller (a New York-based expressionist artist whose work Thompson appreciated), and one by Baroque painter Johann Georg Platzer (Thompson frequently reinterpreted works by Baroque and Renaissance masters). By including Beauford's paintings in the show, Cozzolino aims to have viewers compare and contract his work with that of Thompson.

Mia owns four Beauford Delaney paintings, two of which are on display in the current exhibition. One of these is the famous raincoat painting from Beauford's early Paris years; the other is an untitled oil on masonite painting from his New York years. The untitled painting is hung next to Thompson's oil on canvas entitled The Wind.

Untitled (oil on masonite) by Beauford Delaney (far right);
The Wind by Bob Thompson (center)
Image courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art

Untitled
(1947) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The raincoat painting is displayed alone, mounted on a plinth in the center of the room. Jazz Quartet and Untitled (Washington Square Park), both of which are on loan to the museum, are hung next to each other on one wall of the exhibition. Untitled (Washington Square Park) is part of the Kunin Collection.

Untitled (raincoat painting)(center);
Untitled (Washington Square Park) and Jazz Quartet (far right)
Image courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art

Untitled (Washington Square Park)
(1952) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Jazz Quartet
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Mia's sole Bob Thompson painting - Homage to Nina Simone is the focal piece of the exhibition. The remainder of the Thompson paintings on display are from the Kunin Collection.

Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson is located in room G275 at Mia. It is scheduled to run through March 24, 2019. Entry to the museum is free.

Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson
November 3, 2018 - March 24, 2019
Minneapolis Institute of Art
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
Telephone: (888)642-2787 (Toll Free)
Internet: visit@artsmia.org

*Over the span of four decades, Myron Kunin assembled one of the most important private collections of American paintings from the first half of the 20th century. On extended loan to Mia from the Kunin family, the 396 paintings, 64 prints and drawings, 21 sculptures, and 77 photographs comprise one of the foremost collections of American modern art in private hands.

Knoxville Honors Beauford with Art Wraps

David Butler, Executive Director of the Knoxville Museum of Art, recently shared news about a "Downtown Art Wrap" in Knoxville that features one of Beauford's paintings. Never having heard of an "Art Wrap" before, I asked David to connect me with someone who could explain the concept. Paul James, Development Director for the Knoxville History Project, graciously granted me an interview to explain it all.

Beauford Delaney Untitled Landscape Art Wrap
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
Les Amis: Who conceived of the Art Wrap?

PJ: The general idea of wrapping local traffic boxes (on three or four sides with vinyl) was suggested to the Knoxville History Project (KHP) by a local downtown resident-focused group called City People. Several of their members had seen traffic boxes and utility boxes wrapped in other places using old black and white photographs or contemporary artworks.

Following feedback from Knoxville’s Public Arts Committee, KHP submitted a small grants request to City People to fund a new concept – showcasing artworks from Knoxville’s artists of the past. This approach is better aligned with KHP’s mission and provides an opportunity for visitors and residents to discover aspects of the city’s artistic heritage. Plus, colorful artworks add a greater vibrancy to downtown streetscapes than old photographs!

To get us started, City People awarded KHP a modest grant to wrap two initial traffic boxes which went on public display on Gay Street in August, 2017 featuring highly regarded local artists from the past, Catherine Wiley and Charles Krutch.

Les Amis: How did KMA and KHP join forces on this project?

PJ: Before we began, we consulted with David Butler, KMA’s Executive Director, about the general concept knowing that to be successful we would need help from KMA. David as immediately saw the potential for taking the museum’s treasures out of the museum and sharing them with the public on the city’s streets. KMA provided high resolution images of two initial paintings (by Wiley and Krutch as mentioned above) from its permanent exhibition, Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee. David’s staff at KMA has been wonderful to work with and we couldn’t have gotten this far without their generous time and support.

Beauford Delaney Untitled Landscape Art Wrap
and Knoxville Sunsphere
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
Les Amis: Is the intent to honor all the artists whose works are displayed in Higher Ground?

PJ: Pivotal works from Higher Ground are certainly the cornerstone of Downtown Art Wraps, and so far KHP has installed 14 Downtown Art Wraps, the majority of which are pulled from that exhibition. However, we also feature several Knoxville artworks from other local collections, including McClung Museum, East Tennessee Historical Society, and the Knox County Public Library’s McClung Historical Collection.

As the initiative expands we hope to include as many of the Higher Ground artists as possible. However, several of the paintings included in Higher Ground are on loan to KMA or have some permission restrictions that we haven’t tackled yet. Gaining permission to use any artwork is crucially important to us all.

Artists from Higher Ground currently featured include:

Beauford Delaney
Catherine Wiley
Charles Krutch
Robert Birdwell
C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing
Rudolph Ingerle
Richard Clarke

Les Amis: Who is responsible for deciding whether artists and artworks from private collections are accepted for wraps?

PJ: KHP has created a portfolio of around 20 local artists from KMA and other collections for the program. Many of the artists have multiple artworks which we’ve included in the list. KMA Curator, Stephen Wicks, has also been very helpful in recommending several artworks from Higher Ground which are not currently on display since the exhibit changes from time to time.

In addition, KHP works with KMA and other collection managers to only select artworks where we have permission to include the art and can gain access to high resolution files which are needed to enlarge for the traffic boxes. Occasionally we need additional permissions from other individuals. In the case of Beauford Delaney’s artwork we also sought permission from Mr. Derek Spratley, court appointed administrator for the Beauford Delaney estate.

Les Amis: How are the locations for the wraps selected?

PJ: KHP is primarily focusing on the downtown core of the city which includes approximately 40 traffic boxes which can be wrapped within the central business improvement district’s defined “downtown” area. However, in 2019 KHP will work with the City of Knoxville to add four new Art Wraps beyond downtown on Magnolia Avenue as part of that particular streetscapes improvement project in East Knoxville.

Map showing Downtown Art Wrap locations
(Beauford Delaney Wraps indicated by red arrows)
Screenshot from Knoxville History Project Web site
Les Amis: How long does it take to put a wrap into place once the artist and painting are agreed upon?

PJ: It may seem a straight forward process but some Art Wraps happen quickly, others take months because of delays with permissions for example. However, once we have the artist selected and high resolution artwork in hand it generally takes 2-3 of weeks to install. Steps include drafting the artist’s biography (featured on every box), locating an image of the artist (not always easy to find), and then submitting all the elements to the local company, Graphic Creations, to layout out the Art Wrap on the particular box.

Each traffic box has to be pre-measured before layout can begin. Many of the boxes are different in size and sometimes the boxes are wrapped on three or four sides. This is certainly not a cookie-cutter approach! We have learned that it’s quite a nuanced process, and we try to capture the most important elements of a painting, and where possible to include the artist’s signature in the wrap. Finally, before the wrap enters production, KHP shares the draft design with the sponsor. Installation usually takes two hours per box when the vinyl is ready.

Graphic Creations takes care, when applying the Art Wrap, not to impede air vents and hinges. They use heat to mold the vinyl securely on non-flat surfaces.

Les Amis: How are the wraps financed (municipal funds / corporate sponsors / private donations)?

PJ: KHP seeks financial sponsors for each wrap. To date, Downtown Art Wraps have been sponsored by local businesses, individuals, and organizations (eg. City People). Our attempt is to make them reasonably affordable and so sponsorships are between $1,500 and $1,750 each depending on the size of the traffic box. The revenue provides a source of income for KHP with at least a third of the fee covering production costs.

Les Amis: How easy / difficult has it been to interest the business community in sponsoring wraps?

About half of the Art Wraps have been funded through corporate support. One individual funded three boxes. Downtown Knoxville, the city’s central improvement district, funded three Art Wraps. So it has been a mixture of funding sources. We would like to see more corporations fund the program and help us fulfill our vision of completing 40 Downtown Art Wraps. It has been more difficult to interest the business community more than I thought it would be. Certainly, the response from individuals from the public have all been positive.

Les Amis: How are the wraps inaugurated?

PJ: KHP held a media event in August of 2017 to officially launch the Downtown Art Wraps program and showcase the first two boxes. (Is this what you meant?)

In addition to the first event, we have been featured on Visit Knoxville’s website:

https://www.visitknoxville.com/listings/downtown-art-wraps/1762/

We had an article featured in “Inside of Knoxville:”

https://insideofknoxville.com/2017/09/downtown-art-wraps-by-the-knoxville-history-project-appear-around-the-city/

Plus, we received a special “Preservation Media” award from one of our partners, Knox Heritage.

We haven’t planned an event for the Beauford Wraps yet but will let you know if we do so.

Screenshot of KHP Interactive Map showing
description and location of Yaddo
Les Amis: How are the wraps maintained?

PJ: KHP works directly with City of Knoxville’s Department of Engineering with installation and to monitor wear and tear, damage, and address graffiti issues. The vinyl includes a graffiti-resistant application, which although not 100% guaranteed, has worked very well so far. City engineers believe that the wraps act as a deterrent. In one case of graffiti, Graphic Creations (the installer) was able to clean off the graffiti quite easily. To date then it’s been fairly hassle-free.

Les Amis: How is a work by a particular artist selected to represent that artist?

PJ: The artworks are generally selected for their compatibility to be reproduced on a traffic box (abstract works work best) as well as their vibrancy and attractiveness in the urban setting. Plus, KHP works directly with its sponsors to help select a piece that they are inspired by from the full list of available works. In several cases, we have matched up an artist with a certain location, including a Lloyd Branson painting near where his former studio was located, or Albert Milani and his marble eagle carving across the street from the Tennessee Supreme Court building adorned with the actual eagle carvings. But the placement of traffic light intersections generally makes tying an artwork to a specific location quite difficult. That said, the Art Wraps seems to work anywhere.

Les Amis: Why were the untitled landscape and Yaddo selected to represent Beauford Delaney?

PJ: These paintings were suggested by KMA as excellent examples of Beauford’s works recently acquired by the museum.

Les Amis: Untitled Landscape is sponsored by the Knoxville Central Business Improvement District. Who sponsored Yaddo?

Beauford Delaney Yaddo Art Wrap
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
PJ: Yaddo was sponsored by residents at the RiverHill Gateway Neighborhood Association who were looking for creative ways to spruce up their street frontage. Diversity was important to them as that location was formerly a diverse and poor riverside shanty community. Just north of there was a section of the former African American community along First Creek – essentially erased during “Urban Renewal” in the 1950s. A Beauford Delaney painting at this location made sense.

Les Amis: Are there any other Beauford Delaney art wraps planned?

PJ: Not immediately but there is at least one more Beauford Delaney painting that we have included in our current selections which may be used in the Magnolia Avenue Art Wraps planned for mid-2019.

Les Amis: What happens to the wraps after their ~3-year lifespan expires?

PJ: Depending on wear and tear, and fading, the Art Wraps may be left up longer or switched out for different artworks with existing or new sponsors. The initiative can therefore run for years, if not indefinitely.

Auction Results Exceed Expectations: Ahmed Bioud's Beauford Delaney Collection

ADER's sale of 9 lots of Beauford Delaney works from the collection of Ahmed Bioud exceeded the expectations of the auction house!

Jazz Band was the only oil on canvas among the works offered. ADER estimated the sale price as 15,000€ - 20,000€.

Jazz Band
(1965) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated on back
81 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This work fetched 134,000€.

Composition, 1962, an oil on paper, was estimated to sell for 3,000€ - 4,000€.

Composition, 1962
(1962) Oil on paper
Signed and dated at bottom right
50 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 17,920€.

The mixed-media work entitled Composition, 1962 was assigned an estimated sale price of 2,000€ - 3,000€.

Composition, 1962
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
74 x 53.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 14,080€.

Composition, 1963, a watercolor, sold for over five times the high end of the estimated sale price range (7680€ versus 1500€).

Composition, 1963
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
And the gouache entitled Composition, 1964 sold for 8320€, while its estimated sale price was 1,000€ - 1,500€.

Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
55 x 37 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The other four works also went for handsome prices, including Lot 78 - a gouache that sold for twelve times the highest estimated sale price.

To see all the results, click HERE All sale prices include a buyer's premium of 28%.

Ahmed Bioud's Beauford Delaney Collection at Auction

Ahmed Bioud became one of Beauford's dearest friends after their meeting at Beauford's solo show at Galerie Paul Facchetti in June 1960. Beauford came to know Bioud's family as well and the Biouds would often invite him to dine with them or to join them when they traveled.

Beauford sketching in Ahmed Bioud's garden
Images courtesy of ADER
Bioud organized the sale of Beauford's Mémoire (1964) to the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, Switzerland and ultimately was named one of the members of the tutelle that the French government organized to look after Beauford's affairs when he was at Sainte-Anne's Hospital.

In light of this close relationship, it is not surprising that Bioud would own several of Beauford's paintings. The Paris auction house ADER has nine Beauford Delaney works from his collection listed for sale during its upcoming Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 12, 2018.

See a few of them below:

Jazz Band
(1965) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated on back
81 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 15,000€ - 20,000€

Composition, 1962
(1962) Oil on paper
Signed and dated at bottom right
50 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 3,000€ - 4,000€

Composition, 1962
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
74 x 53.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 2,000€ - 3,000€

Composition, 1963
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 1,200€ - 1,500€

Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
55 x 37 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 1,000€ - 1,500€
The dates for the nine works range from 1962 to 1966, which means that Beauford produced them while he was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio.

To view all the Beauford Delaney paintings for sale (Lots 71-79) and to learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.

Beauford's Yellow Abstracts are HOT

Yet another yellow Beauford Delaney abstract has sold at a price that far surpassed the estimated sales price.

On November 19, Millon held its "Post War & Art Contemporain" sale at Drouot in Paris. A single Beauford Delaney painting was included in the offerings - a magnificent work that the owner obtained from the Paul Facchetti gallery. It was shown at Beauford's monographic exhibition at the gallery in June-July 1960.

Untitled
(circa 1960) Oil on canvas
Signed at lower right and on back of canvas
84 x 75 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I visited the Drouot showroom about a month before the sale to see the painting "up close and personal."

Beauford's Untitled at the Drouot showroom
© Discover Paris!
Based on this viewing, I contributed the following text to Millon's catalog for the sale:

Cette oeuvre représente l’éclat pur de l’esprit de Beauford Delaney. Créée pendant ses années à Clamart (1956-1961), elle capte “la lumière interne” que l’artiste cherchait toujours. Pour Delaney, la lumière “détenait le pouvoir d’illuminer, même de sauver, de réconcilier et de guérir.” Il l’utilisait en tant qu’outil afin de repousser les voix intérieures qui le tourmentaient.

Delaney appelait son studio à Clamart «sa place à la campagne». La lumière qu’il aimait et dont il avait besoin pour travailler venait d’une fenêtre donnant sur un jardin à l’arrière de la maison. Comme dans tous ses ateliers, il a recouvert les murs de draps blancs afin d’accentuer la lumière. Le nombre d’oeuvres qu’il a créé dans cet environnement paisible est actuellement inconnu.

La jaune de ce tableau est lumineuse et l’empâtement qui est caractéristique de Delaney est un témoin de l’engagement de l’artiste de “rappeler la sculpture et la structure de couleur.” En regardant cette oeuvre, on peut bien imaginer qu’elle est la lumière.

The English translation of the text is as follows:

This work represents the pure brilliance of Beauford Delaney's spirit. Created during his years at Clamart (1956-1961), it captures "the internal light" for which the artist was always searching. For Delaney, the light "held the power to illuminate, even to save, reconcile and heal." He used it as a tool to repel the inner voices that tormented him.

Delaney called his studio at Clamart "his place in the country." The light he loved and needed for work came from a window overlooking a garden at the back of the house. As in all his studios, he covered the walls with white sheets to accentuate the light. The number of works that he created in this peaceful environment is currently unknown.

The yellow of this painting is luminous and the impasto which is characteristic of Delaney is a witness of the artist's commitment to "remember the sculpture and structure in color." Looking at this work, one can well imagine that it IS light.

Millon estimated the sale price to be between 10,000€ and 15,000€. After a bidding war among ten potential buyers, Untitled sold for 130,000€, including charges (30% buyer's premium and 20% value added tax).