Les Amis Reminisces about Spring Postings
It's becoming a habit ...
Posting about springtime on the blog each year ...
This year, my February post was early, but it was aligned with this spirit.
It also inspired me to search the blog archives to remind myself of what I've posted in previous years.
Here are the links to this year's post and to posts from 2021 and 2022:
Early Spring at Sainte Anne's Hospital
And here are images a few more Beauford Delaney works that make me think of spring!
Oil on canvas
51 1/8 x 38 1/8 inches (130 x 97 cm)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Watercolor on paper
Signed and dated lower left in red ink, "Beauford Delaney 1971"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of Case Antiques
Oil on canvas
51 x 38 inches
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of the Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Metamorphosis into Freedom at the Hunter Museum of American Art
Metamorphosis into Freedom is a traveling exhibition organized by the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA).* Featuring more than 40 paintings and works on paper, this show examines the evolution of Beauford's career within the context of his 38-year friendship with James Baldwin.
Inspired by KMA's extraordinary exhibition entitled Through the Unusual Door, it explores the ways that Beauford and Baldwin’s ongoing intellectual exchange shaped one another’s creative output and worldview.
Metamorphosis Into Freedom was shown at the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, NC from April 2 to June 21, 2022. It is now on view at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, TN, where visitors will be able to enjoy it through May 1, 2023.
The Hunter Museum chose Beauford's Untitled (Abstract Circles) to represent the exhibition on its Website.
(1956) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It has organized an impressive series of events that are inspired by the show:
On March 9, it is offering a workshop in partnership program with CHI Memorial's Art Therapies & Well Being Program that focuses on teen mental health, identity and sexuality with the intent to explore health and social justice in the Chattanooga community.
On March 16, Stephen Wicks, the Barbara A. and Bernard E. Bernstein Curator of the Knoxville Museum of Art and exhibition organizer, will give an in-gallery tour of the exhibit and offer insights into the artist and his works.
On March 23, the museum has organized a poetic exploration of Beauford and Baldwin's friendship that will include remarks from Ricardo Morris, founder of the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas.
On April 15, a virtual event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Hunter’s Student Symposium will explore the topic of "Intersecting Queerness." Featuring the work of nationwide undergraduate students (Louisville, Temple, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and Yale), each presentation will offer insight into the next generation of thought leaders.
And on April 27, a program entitled "'Dimension' Fusing Vision Art And Performance" will feature dance photography and spoken word performances.
With the exception of the in-gallery tour, for which regular admission fees to the museum apply, all events are free and open to the public.
For more information, visit Hunter Museum of Art: Metamorphosis into Freedom
*KMA owns the largest and most comprehensive public collection of Beauford’s art in the world.
A Close(r) Look at Can Fire in the Park
On Thursday, February 9, 2023, the National Portrait Gallery hosted an online event called "In Dialogue: Smithsonian Objects and Social Justice."
It was one of a series of monthly events through which educators from the National Portrait Gallery partner with colleagues from across the Smithsonian to discuss how historical objects from their respective collections speak to today’s social justice issues.
This most recent dialogue featured Beauford's Can Fire in the Park, juxtaposing it with a haunting photographic self-portrait by LaToya Ruby Frazier. Both works were discussed with the intent to explore the following question:
"How does a community sustain well-being in the face of systemic inequity?"
The conversation began with an evaluation of Can Fire in the Park, painted during Beauford's New York years.
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The moderators asked attendees to type in the chat what they saw in the painting.
Responses included "silhouetted figures," "warmth," "circles," "lots of vibrant colors," and "heavy, with layers of design."
The moderators then asked attendees to type how the painting made them feel.
Responses included "hopeful," "a bit of sadness," "isolation," and "inequity and solidarity at the same time."
The more comments I read, the more my view of Can Fire began to shift. I realized that I had never truly examined the elements of this celebrated work.
I took advantage of the link provided by the Smithsonian to look at an image of the work on its Website, and I spent a lot of time using the zoom function to look at parts of the painting I had only skimmed over before.
One of the comments referred to the possibility that the scene was set on a basketball court. I realized that I had never paid attention to the red lines on the ground behind the group huddled around the can.
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I looked at the fire that gives the painting its name. For the first time, I saw what appears to be a circular object at the top of the can, the edges of which Beauford traced in vivid blue. Though the body of the can is glowing, the fire seems to emerge from this orb-like structure.
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I looked at the two human figures at the periphery of the group. Both have their arms crossed and both seem distant from the four people in the center. I always considered their arms to be folded because they were cold. But in looking at the painting through the lens of community, I now wonder if they are strangers to the people gathered around the can.
Another possibility is that they are standing guard so the people next to the fire can warm themselves undisturbed.
The person at the far left of the painting is well splattered with yellow. Perhaps light is shining on this figure, and perhaps the irregularly shaped caramel brown figure between this person and the short upward pointing arrow represents a shadow.
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I had always viewed the humans in the paintings as men. That night, for the first time, I thought that the person immediately to the right of the can might be a woman. The curved gold line atop the head (possibly a scarf or large ribbon) seems to wind its way down to the chest and torso of this person, and the curvature at the chest evokes a bustline. The broad strokes moving up and away from the face may represent a hair style - perhaps a large braid.
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Because of the height of the person immediately to "her" right, this figure may represent a teen or a large child.
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Then there is the figure standing at the left of the group of four people who are closest to the can. It is almost entirely outlined in yellow-gold.
Might this be a representation of Beauford himself?
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford's Pastel Portrait of a Man Sold by Case Antiques
A couple of weeks ago, I announced that Beauford's Portrait of a Man would be auctioned by Case Antiques on January 28-29, 2023:
Pastel Portrait of a Man to Be Auctioned by Case Antiques
Pastel on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Case Antiques
The auction produced a fantastic result — the work sold for $48,000, including buyer's premium (hammer price: $40,000), which far exceeded the estimated sales price of $10,000 - $12,000.
Sarah Campbell Drury, Vice President of Fine and Decorative Arts at Case Antiques, said the following about the sale:
"As you know, Delaney is one of the few African American Abstract Expressionists to hail from the South, and interest in his work has been steadily rising in recent years. We believe this is a record price for a Delaney portrait on paper. The buyer was a private collector bidding in the room."
The Knoxville News Sentinel covered the auction with what might be described as exuberance. Journalist Devarrick Turner published an article on January 27 entitled "Place your bid! Here’s how you can own a Beauford Delaney original portrait," providing information about the work, instructions on how and where to bid, background information on Beauford and the future Delaney Museum at Beck, and images of additional Beauford Delaney works.
Turner followed up on the sale by publishing an article entitled "Beauford Delaney's 'Portrait of a Man' Shatters Auction Sale Price Expectations."
Knoxville's local ABC news affiliate, WATE, also published an in-depth article prior to the sale and updated its story with the auction result.
Dolan/Maxwell Shows Beauford Abstract at The Winter Show
The Winter Show, America’s premiere art, antiques, and design fair, brings together the world's leading fine and decorative arts dealers. The fair was founded by East Side House Settlement in 1954 to raise critical funds to support tens of thousands of New Yorkers who are most in need.
East Side House is a community-based organization serving the Bronx and Northern Manhattan; its programs focus on education and technology as gateways out of poverty and as the keys to economic opportunity. All ticket sales proceeds from The Winter Show provide unrestricted funds for East Side House's life-changing programs.
Dolan/Maxwell Gallery is showing rare and important works by Modern African American masters, including Romare Bearden, Robert Blackburn, Ed Clark, and Dox Thrash, at the fair.
The luscious Beauford Delaney abstract shown below is one of them.
(1960) Oil on canvas
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Dolan/Maxwell Gallery
Ron Rumford, Director at Dolan/Maxwell, comments on this painting as follows:
Beauford Delaney’s non-objective yellow canvases made soon after he established himself in Paris each have very distinct, rich surfaces. Untitled 1960 is notable for its creamy paint textures and soft, closely modulated palette of greens, yellows, hints of orange and very pale greys. Delaney’s use of color is structural and patterns not unlike camouflage seem to almost emerge.
Alas, no set pattern exists, and the very buttery paint has seduced our eyes, leading our gaze over and all around the lush surface. Untitled 1960 is a luminous painting with a quiet, almost spiritual glow that has been carefully coaxed into being with each of Delaney’s expressive brushstrokes.This painting is also distinctive in that Delaney has included his Paris address “Clamart Seine France 68 R P V Couturier”, along with his signature and year of creation on the back of this quietly powerful canvas.
Image courtesy of Dolan/Maxwell Gallery
The Winter Show at the Park Avenue Armory continues through Sunday, January 29, 2023.
For more information about the show, click HERE.
To learn about Dolan/Maxwell at The Winter Show, click HERE.
A Unique Take on Still Lifes
I've written about Beauford's Untitled (Grape Motif) here many times.
(1946/1960) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I first learned of this work in 2013, when Ron Rumford, Director of Dolan/Maxwell informed me that the gallery was placing it up for sale.
In 2015, I had the privilege of viewing the work myself, when Rumford took me to see it hanging in the office of Dr. William A. Dodd in Center City Philadelphia.
It has changed hands a few times since then and was shown at Art Basel Miami 2022 by the Schoelkopf Gallery.
It is now in a private collection.
For the longest time, the striking jagged, colorful lines surrounding the grapes in this work reminded me of another Beauford Delaney creation that I couldn't quite place in my mind.
I finally took the time to look for an image of the second work - and I found it in my digital folder devoted to works held by the Whitney Museum of American Art.
(1950) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art
I asked Rumford and the Schoelkopf Gallery to comment on the obvious similarities between the two works.
Rumford had the following to say:
It is wonderful to learn of the Whitney’s Beauford Delaney pastel with mushrooms and leaves. We did not know of it when we had the still life with grapes pastel.Erin O'Neill, Director of Research at the Schoelkopf Gallery, responded as follows:Surrounding rather humble subjects with radiating, dynamic zigging and zagging color is a unique approach to still life. Discovering a similar example of this way of working is very satisfying.
This work also calls to mind a 1952 oil we sold some 20 years ago with an African sculpture as the still life subject.
Untitled (African sculpture)
(1952) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Dolan/MaxwellThese three works show Delaney moving away from drawing or painting from the approach of observing objects within and relating to their setting.
Surely the sculpture, mushrooms, leaves and grapes are observed. Surrounding the chosen objects with electric color and forms that break from rational space move these works into another realm of expression having more to do with feeling than recording what is seen.
I also find it interesting that these works were made just before Beauford Delaney leaves New York for Paris.*
While this work was produced in 1960, when Delaney resided in Paris, the concentric outlines harken back to a similar motif Delaney explored in another untitled pastel he made a decade earlier, now held in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art (1950).
Embodying the space between representation and abstraction, in the 1950 pastel, Delaney reimagined a classic modernist subject, a still life of mushrooms and botanicals, and injected it with a nonfigurative sense of color and form. The vegetation becomes electrified as the jagged outline of the leaves repeats itself, echoing outwards until bouncing off of the composition's edges.
In the 1960 example, Delaney advanced his investigation into this motif, but instead used grapes and softened the edges between the bands of color. These pastels convey Delaney's prowess for color and creation.
Form is not the only modernist element employed rhythmically in the works, color is also reiterated diversely—for instance, in the 1960 composition, the orange pastel is used as a band of color at the left of the pictorial field, as a sinuous contour towards the work's center, and as articulated highlights on the rounded forms of the grapes and their stems.
*After discussion with curators and among themselves regarding the style of Untitled (Grape Motif), Dolan/Maxwell determined that it was more consistent with works Beauford created in the 1940s. They believe Beauford may have signed and dated it much later than he actually created it.
Pastel Portrait of a Man to Be Auctioned by Case Antiques
Beauford's Portrait of a Man will be auctioned by Case Antiques on January 28-29, 2023.
The Two-Day Winter Fine Art, Antique, and Jewelry Auction will take place at the Knoxville Gallery, Knoxville, TN beginning at 9 AM Eastern Time on Saturday, January 28 and at 1 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, January 29.
This unsigned, undated work on paper has been assigned Lot No. 145. It comes directly from the Beauford Delaney estate. The subject of the portrait is unknown.
Pastel on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Case Antiques
Pastel on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Pastel on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Pastel on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
For more information about the auction, click HERE.
In Search of Purple
Yesterday morning, I awakened to the thought that I couldn't remember ever seeing a Beauford Delaney work in which the dominant color was purple.
Of course, there are numerous shades of purple, and of course, Beauford used purple as an accentuating color in scores of paintings.
But I was hard pressed to come up with a mental image of a painting or work on paper that "screamed purple."
So I set about looking at my digital catalog to see if I could find at least one.
I never did.
But here are some images of several works that came close - either Beauford painted a single large area with purple or he used this color as the dominant accent for the work.
(1948) Pastel on paper
23 ¼ x 19 ¾ inches
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Knoxville Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the KMA Collectors Circle with additional gifts from Barbara Apking, June and Rob Heller, Donna Kerr, Alexandra Rosen and Donald Cooney, Ted Smith and David Butler, Mimi and Milton Turner, John Cotham, Jan and Pete Crawford, Cathy and Mark Hill, Florence and Russell Johnston, John Z. C. Thomas, Donna and Terry Wertz, Jayne and Myron Ely, Sarah Stowers, Robin and Joe Ben Turner, and Jacqueline Wilson
G. R. N’Namdi Gallery
(1964) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1960) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1950) Oil on canvas
Image from Pomegranate Note Card
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
1969, Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm; 25.6" x 21.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Grievances from a Soul of Sorrow
It sold for $53,125.
(1962-1964) Gouache on paper
Signed and dated "Paris, 1964"
Inscribed: "for Amy(?) Erica + Tully, Paris August 20, 1962, with fond regards"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The date range for this work aroused my curiosity. Beauford showed ten abstract gouaches in a 1964 Copenhagen exhibition called 10 American Negro Artists, and I wondered if this may have been one of them.
Also, the online image of this work struck a chord in me.
I found it to be particularly vibrant, and I wanted to do something special when I posted about it here.
Enter Marteena Mendelssohn, a junior at the American University of Paris (AUP) who is serving as the autumn intern for the Wells International Foundation.
Marteena is a Creative Writing major and Film minor, and she has expressed interest in learning more about Beauford.
So, I invited her to have a look at some of the creative writing done by some of her intern predecessors (two of whom were also AUP students) and write some prose or poetry about this work on paper.
Find the resulting poem below.
Grievances from a Soul of Sorrow
by Marteena Mendelssohn
To move forward
so we dig and we build and we move
with dark
bodies and light voices that pave way into the black night blundering us into bits of bodies until our brown eyes turn into crimson blood on the backside of a painted canvas that’ll never see the day
break
Me
into the world of the unknown.
You or I refuse to see, it is our faith in the light that allows us to be
u
s
so.
Take our light take our truth
But don’t take us back to the starting line.
Beauford at Art Basel Miami 2022
Visitors to Art Basel Miami 2022 can revel in the splendor of Beauford's work!
The Schoelkopf Gallery is displaying one of my favorite works on paper, Untitled (Grape Motif). This piece is being shown alongside works by other artists who the gallery describes as having ... reinvented conventional genres such as landscape and still life through new lenses...
(1960) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
See these works HERE.
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery* is displaying thirteen of Beauford's paintings and works on paper. Created between 1952 and c. 1970, all but one of the works are from Beauford's Paris period.
Two are portraits of Beauford's mother, Delia, and his friend, Bernard Hassell,
(1964) Oil on canvas
Knoxville Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(c. 1970) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
and one is a figurative painting of an island.
The rest are of the works are abstracts.
See the entire selection HERE.
Today is the last day to visit Art Basel Miami.
You can find the Schoelkopf Gallery at Booth C2 and the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery at Booth G1.
Art Basel | Miami Beach
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Website: https://www.artbasel.com/miami-beach/at-the-show
*Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC is Special Advisor and Representative of the Estate of Beauford Delaney.
Beauford's Portrait of Mary Painter
Ever since I published the following 2012 articles about Beauford and his friendship with Mary Painter:
Beauford and Mary PainterBeauford's Paris: Rue des Carmes,
I've been searching for a portrait that Beauford did of Painter. Because of his proclivity for sketching and painting the people he loved, I felt strongly that he must have captured Painter's likeness on canvas.
Thanks to a recent introduction to Painter's niece, Carolyn Wells, my search may be over!
Mary Painter (?)
(1967-69) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated lower right: Beauford Delaney 1969
Signed, dated and inscribed verso:
Beauford Delaney / 1967 / Paris / France
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
Wells told me that the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (MRG)* might have a portrait of her aunt, so I inquired there. The gallery sent me the image shown above, accompanied by a document that provides the provenance and a painterly description of the work, as well as information about Painter.
MRG acquired the painting from the Beauford Delaney estate and conducted research to identify Painter as the subject. They spoke with Wells, who told me it seems very likely that the person in the painting is Painter.
They have a photo of Painter, contributed by Wells, that shows Painter's hair flowing over her shoulders similar to the way Beauford has depicted the woman in this painting. Wells confirms that her aunt had long red hair.
Photo reproduced with the permission of Carolyn Wells
The rear of the painting bears the following information on the stretcher:
Property of M et Mme Jim Legros / Chaville, France
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
Jim and Bunny LeGros were dear friends of Beauford, and the Les Amis blog has featured them in multiple posts over the years. They lived in the Paris suburb of Vélizy, for which the nearest train station is Gare de Chaville-Vélizy.
Unfortunately, Beauford did not write Painter's name on this work.
*Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC is Special Advisor and Representative of the Estate of Beauford Delaney.
Istanbul Calling - A Recordbreaking Sale
On Octobr 14, 2022, Christie's London hosted a Post-War & Contemporary Art Day auction under the umbrella title "Istanbul Calling" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and benefit the institution’s new Young Artists Fund.
As I reported on October 1, two Beauford Delaney portraits belonging to the estate of Turkish actress, theater director and owner, author, and television media personality Gülriz Sururi were put up for sale during this auction.
The estimated sale price of the Sururi portrait was 150,000-200,000 GBP.
Gülriz Sururi
(1966) oil on canvas
39 3/8 x 29 7/8in. (100 x 76cm.)
Signed and dated 'Beauford Delaney 1966' (lower left)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 189,000 GBP ($211,883), including Buyer's Premium.
The estimated sale price of the Baldwin portrait was 180,000-230,000 GBP.
James Baldwin
(1966) oil on canvas
39 1/2 x 29 7/8in. (100.2 x 76cm.
)signed and dated 'Beauford Delaney 1966' (lower left)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 1,026,000 GBP ($1,150,114), including Buyer's Premium.
Christie's describes this as "the top price of the afternoon" for the auction. It names Beauford as one of three artists who "lead Christie’s 20th/21st Century Frieze Week season in London".
The auction house also declared the sale price of the Baldwin portrait "a record price for the artist." It identifies the hightest price that a Beauford Delaney fetched at auction prior to Istanbul Calling was the untitled 1948 painting, subtitled Village Street Scene, which sold for $557,000, including Buyer's Premium, at Swann Auction Galleries' African American Fine Art Sale in April 2018.Beauford Delaney News
Here are a few tidbits of news about Beauford's work, gathered from a Google search a few days ago.
New Orleans Auction Galleries Sale
On October 9, 2022, New Orleans Auction Galleries sold the untitled Beauford Delaney gouache on paper pictured below for $17,500.
(1969) Gouache on paper
Sheet 8-1/2" x 6-1/4", framed 14-1/4" x 11-3/4"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford at the Art Institute of Chicago
Beauford's iconic 1944 self-portrait and Norman Lewis' Multitudes are being juxtaposed with several closed-form sculptures by Toshiko Takaezu in Gallery 262 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
(1944) Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
By permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Find an image of the display here: https://www.artic.edu/highlights/49/a-aapi-artists
Watercolor Portrait of Beauford Delaney Being Sold for Charity
(2017) Watercolor on paper
Forsyth Harmon
You'll find this beautiful portrait of Beauford in a book called The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence by Catherine Lacey.
Forsyth Harmon is selling the portrait for $150 and has pledged to donate all proceeds to the Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center, an organization that promotes literacy through teaching and learning about the African roots experience, including history and culture, through a dynamic exchange of information, ideas, and creativity.
Find information and purchase the work here: https://forsythharmon.com/Beauford-Delaney
Sold and To Be Sold 2
SOLD
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the impending auction of Beauford's Ciel (Sky) color screenprint no. 22/36 by Swann Auction Galleries.
(1960) Color screenprint
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered 22/36 in pencil, lower margin
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The sale took place on October 6, 2022, and the piece sold for $10,000, including Buyer's Premium.
TO BE SOLD
On October 9, 2022, New Orleans Auction Galleries will offer an untitled Beauford Delaney gouache on paper for sale during a two-day estates auction.
(1969) Gouache on paper
Sheet 8-1/2" x 6-1/4", framed 14-1/4" x 11-3/4"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
They describe the work (Lot 109) as follows:
"In this later abstract work by Delaney, the artist employs a limited yet sophisticated color palette of vivid hues to create an almost rhythmic exploration of the interplay of color and form."
This signed, framed work is estimated to sell for $15,000 to $25,000.
(1969) Gouache on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
For information about this sale, click HERE.
Sale of Beauford Delaney Portraits to Support Charitable Causes
Over the years, I've published three articles about the time Beauford spent in Istanbul:
Beauford and Baldwin in Istanbul
Sedat Pakay's Tribute to Beauford
A few days ago, I learned that two works created by Beauford during this sojourn are being auctioned for charity.
Christie's London is hosting two auctions under the umbrella title "Istanbul Calling" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and benefit the institution’s new Young Artists Fund. The sales catalog states that "Highlights include two enchanting portraits by Beauford Delaney painted in Turkey and held in the same private collection since 1966..."
That collection belongs to the estate of Gülriz Sururi (1929-2018), a Turkish actress, theater director and owner, author, and television media personality. She and her husband, actor Engin Cezzar (1935-2017), were dear friends of James Baldwin. Beauford met the couple during his 1966 visit to Istanbul.
The portraits portray James Baldwin (Lot 287) and Gülriz Sururi (Lot 288).
Find vibrant images of these portraits and read the lot essays about them on Christie's Website at the links below:
The Baldwin portrait is one of two that Beauford created while in Istanbul. It is one of the "softest" I've seen in terms of the palette Beauford chose to use in portraying his friend. The estimated sale price of this work is $210,000-$290,000.
The Sururi portrait is another example of Beauford's passion for portraying his subjects in luminous yellow. The estimated sale price of this work is $180,000-$230,000.
Both portraits will be sold during the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale on Friday 14 October 2022. The Sururi Estate plans to donate 80% of their net proceeds of sale to Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği (Association for the Support of Contemporary Living), a non-profit NGO in Turkey, and the remaining 20% of their net proceeds of sale to İKSV. The Association for the Support of Contemporary Living helps girls across Turkey to obtain an education.
For more information about the sale, click HERE.
Sold and To Be Sold
SOLD
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries of Thomaston, Maine held a three-day live auction called August Splendor 2022 last month. On Day 3 - August 28, 2022 - it offered a Beauford Delaney untitled, undated abstract for sale.
(Undated) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The online catalog describes the painting as follows:
"Color Composition, impasto oil on canvas, signed lower right, a blended confetti of pale teal, pink and yellow, unframed, SS: 28 3/4" x 23 1/2", very good condition."
The colors in this work remind me of the ones Beauford used in the more vibrantly colored abstract that the Mint Museum purchased a few years ago.
(1959) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated sale price for the work offered by Thomaston Place Galleries was $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $85,000.
The Cleveland Museum of Art has acquired Untitled (ca. 1958), a nearly 5' x 4' oil on canvas as part of its move to increase the number of works in its collection that were created by African American artists.
(c. 1958) Oil on canvas
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
TO BE SOLD
On October 6, 2022, Swann Auction Galleries will auction Beauford's Ciel, a color screenprint for which 36 prints were made, as Lot number 46.
(1960) Color screenprint
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered 22/36 in pencil, lower margin
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Ciel is mentioned in two previous articles on the Les Amis blog:
Where to Find Beauford's Art: Ink Miama Art Fair - Aaron Galleries
Where to Find Beauford's Art: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
An image of MIA's print appears in the catalog entitled Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris, published for the museum's 2004 exhibition of the same name.The estimated sale price for Ciel (Sky) Print no. 22/36 is $10,000 - $15,000.
For information about Swann's sale, click HERE.
Beauford on Obelisk Art History
I occasionally Google Beauford to see what obscure references to his life and art I can find online. Earlier this week, I found a delightful one - a page on a Website called Obelisk Art History.
Obelisk, formerly known as Trivium, is "a place to explore the wildly diverse world of art history." Created by Reed Enger 10+ years ago, it has evolved from a simple classroom resource to a platform with thousands of images, essays, correspondence, projects, and quizzes for those interested in art history.
In the section called "Artists," Enger has built a page called "Beauford Delaney: Capturing the Sacred Light." It features two sentences about Beauford and images of five of his works, most of which are dominated by the color "yellow." The sentences contain links to four other pages on the site, three of which link back to Beauford's page. Clicking on each image takes you to a page dedicated to the corresponding work, and this page also presents a brief paragraph that contains links to additional pages.
Through an innovative function called "The Kaleidoscope," Enger invites visitors to the site to take "a hypnotic journey through art history." On any given page that features a work of art, you'll find a rotating "gear" between the images of the work and the text describing it. Click on it, and you're taken to a new page where the work is transformed into a constantly changing pattern reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. This is absolutely mesmerizing!
Enger selected two abstracts and three portraits for "Capturing the Sacred Light." Here are a few screenshots of the kaleidoscopic images from these works.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about this way this site transforms images of artwork from classical to contemporary into ever changing geometric forms. Write to me at amisdebeauford@yahoo.com to let me know!
Beauford Delaney Works Described on Video
Today I'm providing links to several brief (less-than-6-minute) videos that present individual paintings created by Beauford over the years.
Each presenter talks about Beauford's life circumstances, but my intent is to have you focus on their description of the work they have decided to feature.
Portrait of James Baldwin (1945)
(1945) Oil on canvas
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art created this video to discuss Beauford's 1945 Portrait of James Baldwin (the speaker was not identified):
"Portrait of James Baldwin" by Beauford Delaney
Can Fire in the Park (1946)
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Stephanie Frey, docent at the Wichita Art Museum, provides commentary on this iconic painting:
Beauford Delaney, Can Fire in the Park, 1946
River Arts Inc. Gallery created a "Tidbits: Pocket-sized Art History" video about Beauford's life and work. In it, gallery manager Kristina Coopman describes Can Fire in the Park from 3:23 minutes to 4:30 minutes:
Tidbits Ep. 6: Beauford Delaney
Untitled (1959)
(1959) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Mint Museum Senior Curator of American Art, Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, discusses this vibrant untitled painting:
“Untitled” by Beauford Delaney
Portrait of Marian Anderson (1965)
(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
Dr. Shawnya Harris, the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art at the Georgia Museum of Art, and Dr. Steven Zucker, Founder and Executive Director of Smarthistory, talk about this painting:
Beauford Delaney Abstract Auctioned at Christie's
On May 13, 2022, Christie's New York auctioned a 1967 Beauford Delaney abstract painting during its Post War and Contemporary Art Day Sale.
Lot 167
Untitled
(1967) Oil on canvas
Signed, inscribed, dedicated, and dated (verso)
16 1⁄8 x 10 5⁄8 in. (41 x 27 cm.)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The inscription on the back of the painting reads "For Mme Mary Callery with friendship."
Mary Callery is mentioned three times in Amazing Grace: A Biography of Beauford Delaney. From biographer David Leeming, we learn that she was a sculptor friend of Beauford and that he was posing for her at her home when he made the acquaintance of Georgia O'Keeffe. This likely occurred during the early 1940s, after Callery's return from a 10-year sojourn in Paris.
Photo of Mary Callery's sculpture of Beauford Delaney
Image by Entrée to Black Paris
Reproduced by permission - Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
O'Keeffe wrote about this meeting. Read her statement here: Beauford: The Georgia O'Keeffe Portraits
Leeming reports that Callery gave Beauford "a suit, a shirt, two pairs of socks, a change of underwear, and a check for $20" in late 1945. She saw Beauford's work at his first solo exhibition at the Galerie Prisme in Paris in May 1956, and he wrote to her later that year about a work he created during the "return" to portraiture that was an extension of his abstract work.
Beauford gave the untitled painting to Callery in 1967. It was sold by Christie's in 2009, and the buyer submitted the work for sale in the current auction.
The estimated sale price for this work was $70,000 - $100,000. It sold for $239,400, including a buyer's premium of 26%.
West Coast Buzz - LACMA Acquires Beauford Delaney Portrait
My email inbox "lit up" earlier this week when the press got hold of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA's) announcement of its acquisition of Beauford's Negro Man [Claude McKay].
(1944) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator,
Image: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Stephanie Barron, LACMA's Senior Curator and Department Head, Modern Art Acquisitions, wrote an eloquent piece about the purchase for the museum's newsletter. It is cited as being a gift of the 2022 Collectors Committee, with additional funds provided by the Robert H. Halff Endowment, the Modern and Contemporary Art Council, and The Buddy Taub Foundation, Jill and Dennis Roach, Directors.
Importantly, Barron mentions that LACMA is the first Los Angeles museum to acquire a Beauford Delaney work. At the upper end of the state, San Francisco MoMA acquired three of Beauford's works (two paintings and one work on paper) in 2020.
Image in the public domain
Source: Wikimedia Commons
By the time Beauford and McKay began to cross paths in New York, McKay was already a seasoned European traveler. He spent two years in Europe before Beauford left Knoxville for Boston and was well into his 11-year sojourn in France, Spain, and Morocco by the time Beauford arrived in New York in 1929. I have found no evidence that the two men were more than casual acquaintances, or that they ever discussed McKay's travels.
Claude McKay moved from New York to Chicago in 1944, the same year Beauford painted Negro Man. He died in Chicago in 1948.