Beauford Immortalized in Sculpture in Knoxville
A full-body likeness of Beauford now graces the landscape of his hometown of Knoxville, TN.
On April 16, 2026, four new bronze sculptures honoring historic Black figures from Knoxville were unveiled at Covenant Health Park, the city's new multi-purpose sports stadium.
Beauford's was one of them.
Beauford Delaney statue
Image courtesy of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Beck Cultural Exchange Center President and City of Knoxville Historian of African American History Rev. Reneé Kesler played an integral role in the creation and placement of the works. She graciously granted Les Amis an exclusive interview to discuss the project.
Rev. Kesler explained that she commissioned these statues and seven additional ones that honor Knoxville's Negro Baseball team, the Giants, as a means of acknowledging and honoring the history of the area.
The new stadium is located a couple of miles from the park where the Giants played from 1920-1932. Situated within the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District, just east of Knoxville's Old City, it was built on land that was formerly home to a vibrant Black community and essentially razed in the name of urban renewal.
Working with sculptor Brian Hanlon and various stakeholders over the past 5-6 years, Rev. Kesler determined who would be represented in the statues, how they would be represented, and where the finished works would be placed. She elected to have Beauford represented with a likeness of one of his more iconic portraits of his mentee, James Baldwin.
Beauford Delaney statue - detail of Baldwin portrait
Image courtesy of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center
James Baldwin
(c. 1945-1950) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
Though all were commissioned at the same time, the first seven sculptures were unveiled when the stadium opened last April. Last week's unveiling was timed to coincide with the opening of the Delaney Building, an exclusive, mostly residential complex.
The sculptures that commemorate Black baseball history at Covenant Health Park represent Jerry Benjamin, William M. Brooks, Claude “Steel Arm” Dickey, Forrest “One Wing” Maddox, William Nathaniel “Nat” Rogers, “Big Jim” Tugerson, and Payne Avenue Little League.
The four figures honored by the works unveiled last week are painter Ruth Cobb Brice, singer and “Queen of the Blues” Ida P. Cox, writer and poet Nikki Giovanni, and Beauford.
At the base of each statues is a QR code that allows you to learn more about the individuals represented in the works.
Rev. Kesler said that the Beck Cultural Exchange Center worked in close collaboration with Randy Boyd, the Boyd Family Foundation, Boyd Sports, and the Knoxville Smokies baseball team to move the sculpture project forward. She explained that ever since the renovation of the area began, Beck came in as a partner with the responsibility to hold onto and reclaim names and spaces to preserve its history.
(L to R) sculptor Brian Hanlon,
Rev. Reneé Kesler, Derek Spratley, court-appointed administrator
of the Beauford Delaney estate, and Jenny and Randy Boyd
with Beauford Delaney statue
Image courtesy of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Covenant Health Park serves as the home park for the Smokies as well as the city's Division III soccer team, One Knoxville SC. It opened on April 15, 2025.
The new Delaney building overlooks the stadium.
Beauford Delaney statue and entrance to the Delaney Building
Image courtesy of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Click on the links below to read previous Les Amis articles about the Delaney Building:
Beauford in Six Minutes or Less
Last week, I came across a well crafted, 4:19-minute video about Beauford in a recently launched series about art history. Catherine, the creator of the series, chose to feature Beauford in her first episode.
Artist Series Ep.1 - Beauford Delaney
Viewing this video inspired me to look for others that grasped the essence of Beauford's life and/or work in a relatively short period of time.
Below are links to videos that do so in six minutes or less.
Some talk about Beauford biographically and some feature specific works of art.
Beauford Delaney: The Artist's Artist
A Modern Icon: Beauford Delaney's Marian Anderson
Beauford Delaney, Can Fire in the Park, 1946
Gathering Light
"MIA Highlight: Beauford Delaney, Untitled, 1954" presents Beauford's famous "raincoat painting," focusing on the abstract nature of this work.
"#FallenThroughTheCracks: Black Artists in History - Beauford Delaney" beautifully and succinctly summarizes Beauford's development as an artist.
"Portrait of James Baldwin by Beauford Delaney" presents the 1945 oil portrait of Baldwin held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Finally, the Knoxville Museum of Art obtained permission from INA France to present this ~1-minute video of rare footage of Beauford being interviewed in his Clamart studio on the KMA Facebook page.
Click on the image below to view it.
A Catapult for Beauford's Legacy
Celebrations organized by the Delaney Legacy Committee in Knoxville, TN took place at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) on October 19, 2023.
The Knoxville News Sentinel published an extensive article and a robust photo gallery of the events online:
Not just paintings on a wall: Knoxville honors Beauford Delaney’s family and art legacy
Beauford Delaney's work honored at Beck Cultural Center, World's Fair Park
In the section entitled "Preserving the Delaney Legacy in Knoxville," the Knoxville News Sentinel mentions that
- KMA has acquired new Beauford and Joseph Delaney pieces.
- A large gallery space will be devoted to the Delaney brothers within the museum's permanent Higher Ground exhibit beginning Nov. 3, 2023.
- Delaney pieces have been loaned to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Grey Art Gallery at New York University.
KMA Executive Director David Butler granted Les Amis an exclusive interview that expands upon this information and provides clarification about the origins and activities of the Delaney Legacy Committee.
Les Amis: You said you anticipated about 250 people would come. How many people actually attended?
DB: We had just over 250. It was packed.
Les Amis: Is the gallery space devoted to Higher Ground the same space where Through the Unusual Door was hung?
DB: Actually, it’s the same space, reconfigured and renovated. The room in Through the Unusual Door so memorably hung with Clamart abstracts was a direct inspiration for the expansion of Higher Ground. I have sent some pictures of the installation in process just today!
Photos courtesy of KMA
Les Amis: Thanks to recent acquisitions, KMA now holds the largest public collection of Beauford’s work in the world. Is the museum actively planning to acquire additional works – specifically oils – or will you “rest on your laurels” for the time being?
DB: We very much hope to continue to add to our Beauford Delaney holdings as resources allow.
Les Amis: Please share information about loans requests for recent and upcoming national and international shows that KMA has fielded in the past 12-24 months, including those for the Art Institute of Chicago and the Grey Art Gallery at NYU.
DB: The KMA board has just approved the loan of Beauford’s Self-Portrait in a Paris Bath House, 1971 (oil on canvas, 21 5/8 x 18 1/8 inches, 2018 Beauford Delaney Acquisition), to the Art Institute of Chicago for the exhibition Project a Black Planet, which opens in Chicago in late 2024 and will then travel to the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona and KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels.
The board has also approved the loan of Beauford’s Blue-Light Abstraction, circa 1962 (oil on canvas, 25 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches, 2018 Beauford Delaney Acquisition) to the Grey Art Gallery, New York University for the exhibition Americans in Paris, which opens in New York in early 2024 and will then travel to NYU Abu Dabhi.
Les Amis: Are any Delaney descendants on KMA’s board or acquisition committees?
DB: Derek Spratley, court-appointed attorney for the Beauford Delaney Estate, serves on the KMA board.
Les Amis: The Knoxville News Sentinel describes the Delaney Legacy Committee as being composed of KMA, UT Libraries, Beck, and the Delaney estate. Please talk about the connection between the Delaney Legacy Committee and The Delaney Project: Gathering Light (if any).
DB: The Delaney Legacy Committee grew directly out of the “Gathering Light” initiative that was spearheaded by Sylvia Peters. We actually got a lot done and had some great momentum going when COVID shut everything down. The Delaney Legacy Committee is the successor to that effort, involves many of the same people, and has more administrative support through the UT Libraries.
Les Amis: Is there any active collaboration specifically between UT Libraries and KMA at present?
DB: The KMA worked closely with the UT Libraries and helped with fundraising for the purchase of the Beauford Delaney papers. It was important that that precious resource stay in Knoxville; UT Libraries has the staff and resources to facilitate public and scholarly access to the papers. Steve Smith, UT Libraries dean, serves on the KMA board, as do Renee Kesler (Beck) and Derek Spratley (Beauford Delaney Estate). Having these key people in leadership positions at the KMA has been tremendously helpful.
Les Amis: Doesn’t the committee also include the UT School of Art Galleries and the UT Humanities Center?
DB: Yes. The School of Art Galleries has significant holdings of works by Joseph Delaney (he was a visiting instructor at UT in his last years); the UT Humanities Center organized an international symposium on Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin during Through the Unusual Door in 2020. I believe the proceedings will be published next summer, I am told. (I should note that the Joseph Delaney Estate is also represented on the Delaney Legacy Committee.)
Les Amis: Is the East Tennessee Historical Society no longer part of the Delaney project?
DB: The East Tennessee Historical Society was instrumental in getting the State of Tennessee to install a historical marker at the site of Beauford and Joseph’s childhood home in downtown Knoxville. All the constituent organizations of the Delaney Legacy Committee have significant holdings of works by or offer programming specifically about Beauford and Joseph, so ETHS isn’t formally a member but is certainly a valued resource and strong ally.
Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black - Part 2
Dr. Arlene Keizer is Professor and Former Chairperson of the Department of Humanities and Media Studies at Pratt Institute in NYC. She is a scholar in the fields of literary and cultural studies who writes about the literature, lived experience, theory, and visual art of the African Diaspora.
Dr. Keizer graciously granted Les Amis this interview as a prelude to the release of Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black, her book of poems inspired by Beauford's life and work. In Part 2 of this blog post, she discusses several of Beauford's works that inspired her poetry.
Cover art by Nell Painter
Les Amis: In the panel discussion called “Red Summer Remembered: Cultural Trauma and Commemorative Art Practices” that you organized in 2019, you discussed three Beauford Delaney paintings in relation to the 1919 Knoxville Race Riot that took place during Red Summer. In your Speaking of Marvels interview, you identify two Beauford Delaney paintings that inspired the poem “Terror in the Heart of Freedom.” Please share a list of the paintings that inspired the poems in Fraternal Light and other areas of your work focused on Beauford.
AK: Here is the list:
Untitled (Knoxville Landscape), 1922, watercolor on paper
%201922_private%20collection.jpg)
(1922) Gouache on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Knoxville Landscape, 1969, mixed media on paper
Harlem Blue, exhibited February 1949 (This is likely the same painting sold by Swann Auction Galleries as Untitled (Village Street Scene) in 2018.)
Dark Rapture (James Baldwin), 1941, oil on Masonite
Abstraction #12, 1963, oil on canvas
Moving Sunlight, 1965, oil on canvas
(1965) Oil on canvas
Knoxville Museum of Art, 2018 acquisition
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Marian Anderson, 1965, oil on canvas
Portrait of a Young Musician, n.d., acrylic on canvas (The Studio Museum in Harlem owns this painting.)
Untitled, circa 1958, oil on canvas (This painting was acquired in 2022 by the Cleveland Museum of Art.)
Jean Genet, 1972, oil on canvas
Portrait of Walter Anderson, n.d., oil on canvas
Beauford Delaney
Portrait of Walter Anderson
Date unknown
Oil, 130 x 97 cm.
Photographer unknown.
Page 50 from Richard A. Long, Mary Schmidt Campbell,
James Baldwin, and Joseph Delaney,
Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective
(New York: Studio Museum in Harlem, 1978).
Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title,
organized by and presented at the Studio Museum in Harlem,
April 9—July 2, 1978
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Head of a Poet, 1944, pastel on paper
Grèce, 1967, oil on canvas
Self-Portrait in a Paris Bath House, 1971, oil on canvas
Additionally, I've been inspired by many Delaney self-portraits and portraits of James Baldwin, many paintings with variations on the title “Portrait of a Man,” and portraits of Ahmed Bioud.
31 7/8" x 25 1/2" / 81.0 x 64.8 cm
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Les Amis: Have you seen these works in person, or were you working solely from photographic images of them?
AK: I’ve been lucky to see many of Delaney’s works in person because of recent shows, especially those at the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery and the David Zwirner Gallery. Some paintings I’ve seen only in printed or online reproductions. Seeing Untitled (c. 1958), Dark Rapture, and Rehearsal in a David Zwirner Gallery show curated by Hilton Als was crucial to the development of Fraternal Light.
Les Amis: Are images of Beauford’s works included in Fraternal Light?
AK: Instead of including Delaney’s works in Fraternal Light, I opted to feature works inspired by him. I remain fascinated by the number of writers, visual artists, and musicians who drew inspiration from Delaney and his work, adding myself to their company. Nell Painter, the renowned historian-turned-artist, allowed me to use one of her Delaney-inspired drawings on the cover of Fraternal Light, and I’m profoundly grateful.
Les Amis: In the Speaking of Marvels interview, you state that after writing “Mandala,” the final poem of Fraternal Light, you felt that I had traveled as far you could “in the company of Delaney’s extraordinary body of work.” Does this mean that you will no longer pursue scholarly research on him?
AK: I would be delighted to continue contributing to projects related to Delaney, but my original research on his life and work has (mostly) come to an end. It’s possible that I’ll write an essay about the process of researching his life/art and developing a poetry manuscript out of archival work, since I’ve been giving talks about this. When the embargo on the letters between Delaney and Baldwin is lifted, I will return to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem to read every one of them!
Les Amis: Is anyone “following in your footsteps” regarding researching Beauford? Do you have or know of any graduate students who would like to extend or build upon your work?
AK: At present, I’m not working with any graduate students who focus on African American art or poetry.
Les Amis: Do the poems in Fraternal Light lend themselves to spoken word performance?
AK: Yes! I’ve read some of the poems while giving talks on my research at Smith College and at the Schomburg, where I was a Scholar-in-Residence during the 2021-22 academic year. I plan to read from Fraternal Light wherever I might be invited to do so.
Image courtesy of Dr. Keizer
Fraternal Light is scheduled for release on August 29, 2023. It is currently available for pre-order HERE.
Read Part 1 of this post HERE.
Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black - Part 1
Dr. Arlene Keizer is Professor and Former Chairperson of the Department of Humanities and Media Studies at Pratt Institute in NYC. She is a scholar in the fields of literary and cultural studies who writes about the literature, lived experience, theory, and visual art of the African Diaspora.
Dr. Keizer graciously granted Les Amis this interview as a prelude to the release of Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black, her book of poems inspired by Beauford's life and work. In Part 1 of this blog post, she discusses how she came to know Beauford's work and why it inspires her.
Cover art by Nell Painter
Les Amis: Congratulations on winning the 2022 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize! What inspired you to apply for this award?
AK: Thanks for your congratulations, and thanks for this question. It’s very difficult to publish a first book of poetry, so most US-based poets who haven’t yet published a full collection enter contests established by independent and university presses and foundations dedicated to keeping poetry alive. I submitted the manuscript of Fraternal Light to at least 50 contests or open-reading periods before it won the Wick First Book Prize.
Les Amis: When and under what circumstances did you first learn about Beauford Delaney?
AK: I’m a literary scholar by training, so I first learned about Delaney when I began studying the life and work of James Baldwin back in the late 1980s. At that time, I thought of Delaney as a footnote in Baldwin’s narrative, so it was an enjoyable surprise when he took center stage in my imagination.
Les Amis: What is it about his life and/or work that inspires you?
AK: I am awed by Delaney’s artistic skill, generosity of spirit, and extraordinary resilience in the face of intense adversity. I feel that his life and work can teach me (and others) how to endure the kinds of difficulties that he not only survived but often transcended. He somehow pushed himself to create original, continually path-breaking art in spite of grinding poverty, anti-Black and homophobic discrimination and violence, and serious psychiatric problems. And his work is radiant with the joy of existence.
Les Amis: In the interview you gave to Speaking of Marvels, you talk about “years of examining his [Beauford’s] art and reading his letters and excerpts from his journals.” How many years have you been studying Beauford?
AK: I began doing serious research on Delaney’s life and work in 2018.
Les Amis: In reference to the above statement, describe the documents you discovered at the Beinecke Library at Yale and the Schomburg Center in NYC.
AK: To summarize a wealth of material: Most of the Delaney documents at the Schomburg and the Beinecke are letters Delaney wrote to friends and professional acquaintances. Both archives also contain some letters that Delaney received from friends and colleagues. I was surprised and delighted to find that the Schomburg also owns some Delaney drawings and paintings.
(1944) Pastel on paper
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Image courtesy of Arlene Keizer
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The Beinecke purchased two drawings of Delaney by the illustrator Don Freeman, a close friend, and one of these drawings appears in Fraternal Light. The Delaney-related materials I found most moving are David Leeming’s interviews with Delaney’s friends and relatives, including Baldwin and Bernard Hassell, which are housed at the Beinecke.
Les Amis: How did these documents inform your poems?
AK: As I wrote Fraternal Light, I was interested in learning as much as possible about Delaney’s character, his interior life, and his approach to art, and his letters to friends were illuminating. It’s clear from what’s in the archives that Delaney derived emotional sustenance from writing letters and reading (and re-reading) the letters he received from friends and family.
Image courtesy of Dr. Keizer
Fraternal Light is scheduled for release on August 29, 2023. It is currently available for pre-order HERE.
Come back next week to learn about specific Beauford Delaney works that inspired Dr. Keizer's poetry.
Maestro Beauford Delaney - A Tribute by Joel Crooms
Joel M. Crooms commented on a recent Entrée to Black Paris Facebook post about the works auctioned during Christie's "Istanbul Calling" sale as follows:
Beauford was my inspiration as a young artist studying in NYC and New Jersey during the seventies and today! The brilliance of his colors is so powerful. At that time, minimalist and color field artists were big in the NYC area, but Mr Delaney’s colors far outshine those works ... in the process greatly affecting me, exciting me! The yellows!
Beauford Delaney portraits auctioned by Christie's London
This led to an email exchange, which culminated in the interview below.
Les Amis: How and when did you first learn about Beauford's work?
JC: I first learned of Beauford's work at the Studio Museum in Harlem. It was a retrospective of his work in nineteen seventy-eight (1978).
Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective catalog cover
Les Amis: What makes his colors "far outshine" the works by the minimalist and color field artists of the 70s?
JC: Minimalism was the rave during my time as a young artist in Manhattan of the seventies. The professed cold intellectualist nonspiritual objective approach yielded work I could appreciate on that basis. So, I dove right in. But I felt a need to find a model akin to me and my creative life. I would haunt the streets of Harlem, devouring all black culture there - visual art, theater, dance, politics, history, bookstores, and religious institutions.
I walked through the Studio Museum’s doors, and I saw art by Black Artists! The Delaney retrospective was down but there were still pieces hanging. I walked upstairs and on this floor I saw Beauford’s work. Portraits first, street scenes next, and then, the abstractions. Those Yellows, there were greens and some reds.
For me though, it was and still is those yellows. Bright, brighter than bright! Emotive spiritual heat. So much light. Executed with skill, technique and passion. Not just some mechanical exercise, Beauford lit the way!
Les Amis: How prevalent was knowledge of Beauford's work among your fellow students during the time you were studying art?
JC: Beauford was a non-entity to the students at the institutions I attended.
Les Amis: How prevalent was knowledge of his work among your professors and mentors during the time you were studying art?
JC: If professors knew of Mr. Delaney they did not share that knowledge or were too culturally chauvinistic to acknowledge the work. I did have an art associate who introduced me to Alice Neel, a woman portrait artist who referred me to Beauford s work and encouraged me to continue my artwork.
Les Amis: How prevalent is knowledge of his work amongst your artist peers today?
JC: Many of my current peers know of Beauford Delaney's work thanks to efforts of the Studio Museum, the Smithsonian, and organizations like Les Amis Beauford Delaney.
Les Amis: (How) does Beauford's artistic style influence yours?
JC: It’s the light, along with Rembrandt’s chiaroscuro. The glazing techniques of illustrators like Maxfield Parish. Beauford's striking results heavily influence my analog, digital, and projection work.
Les Amis: Do you have a preference for his figurative versus his abstract works or for works he created during a specific period of his career (New York versus Paris)?
JC: Initially I preferred Beauford’s abstractions. However, as I look, I see the abstract aspects in his figurative and landscape work (Street Scenes).
Les Amis: You mentioned Beauford's yellows in your original comments. Please tell us why you find them so exciting.
JC: Beauford's yellows burn, illuminate, vibrate the space they occupy. In my current digital work experiments I attempt to master that.
Les Amis: Your biography states that all your work is political. Do you "see politics" in Beauford's work? If so, in what way(s)?
JC: Beauford’s very existence at the time he practiced his art and ventured to explore the practice of art, let alone abstraction, as the world around him denied his very humanity - let alone his and others' creative capabilities - is a powerful political statement.
Even though Beauford's expat situation did not end well, he took a popular path to find a better life free of constraints.
Les Amis: Your biography states that your work speaks to cosmopolitan / universal issues. Do you believe Beauford's work does this as well? If so, in what way(s)?
JC: Of course, Beauford created works of art that speak to the human condition ... the figure, the landscape and the psyche.
Les Amis: What do you know about Beauford's life story? Do you find any similarities between his story and yours?
JC: At first, I knew little if anything at all about Beauford’s life. As I learned about it, my first thoughts were that it was tragic. But as I've lived and seen the lives of many of my peers come to similar conclusions - I realize that there are triumphant aspects to his and their journey. I appreciate the lessons learned from them that helped me find positive alternatives.
Les Amis: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
JC: If it weren’t for Beauford Delaney, the world would be a poorer place. He brought his own light. I for one am indebted and thankful for the lessons and possibilities he gave ... and most of all, the JOY.
Thank you, Maestro Beauford Delaney!
Joel M. Crooms
Image courtesy of Joel M. Crooms
Beauford in The Art of the Affair
A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Forsyth Harmon created a beautiful watercolor portrait of Beauford for a book called The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence by Catherine Lacey.
(2017) Watercolor on paper
Forsyth Harmon
I reached out to Harmon to learn more about the book and her portrait of Beauford, and she graciously granted Les Amis the interview below.
Les Amis: Amazon lists you as an author on The Art of the Affair alongside Catherine Lacey. How much of the writing did you contribute to this book in addition to your wonderful illustrations?
FH: The Art of the Affair grew from a piece Catherine Lacey contributed to The Believer magazine. The concept was Catherine's, however she and I worked together to co-curate the relationship chains between turn of the century writers, artists, musicians, and more. Catherine did the writing, and I did the illustrations. The process was very collaborative, and a lot of fun. I learned so much.
Les Amis: What story does the book tell about Beauford Delaney?
FH: Beauford is featured in Chapter Five of The Art of the Affair--a section entitled "The Way Your Blood Beats." He appears as an important artist of his time, and one of only the two persons Georgia O'Keefe ever drew. The book also calls attention to the ways in which he inspired James Baldwin, who called him "the first living proof, for me, that a black man could be an artist," and "a cross between Brer Rabbit and St. Francis of Assisi." Beauford helped James find a way to pay for his father's funeral when he was still a teenager. They later traveled together in Europe.
Image courtesy of Forsyth Harmon
Les Amis: Did you decide to include him in the book or did Catherine Lacey?
FH: I can't recall which of us pulled in Beauford! I do remember curating this chapter in Catherine's Fort Greene apartment over dinner. It was a wonderful night!
Les Amis: What inspired you and / or Lacey to include him in the book?
FH: As a portrait artist myself, I have always been a fan of Beauford's work. It wasn't until later in life that I realized an organization founded by my family, The Harmon Foundation, had frequently exhibited his early pastel portraits during the1930s and 1940s. The Foundation supported a variety of causes, but is best known for having served as a patron of African-American art during the Harlem Renaissance, helping African-American artists gain the recognition they deserved.
Les Amis: What inspired your watercolor of Beauford? Was it a photo portrait, one of his self-portraits ... ?
FH: I generally use multiple sources to inspire my portraits. In this case, I used a combination of photographs and Beauford's self-portraits, but was probably most inspired by a photograph taken by Rue Guilleminot in France in 1973. I did my best to capture his expression in this photograph ... knowing, bemused, and perhaps a bit exhausted.
Rue Guilleminot
France 1973
© Errol Sawyer
Les Amis: You are donating the proceeds from the sale of your Beauford Delaney portrait to support the library at the A. J. William-Myers African Roots Center. What is your relationship with the center?
FH: I am local to the A. J. William-Myers African Roots Center, which is headquartered in Kingston, New York. I've been inspired by the work the organization does around literacy and the advancement of historical knowledge, cultural enrichment, civic engagement and social justice. Over the past two years, The Harmon Foundation has included the center in its annual funding disbursement at my direction.
Les Amis: Has anyone purchased the portrait of Beauford, allowing you to donate to the Center?
FH: I am making the donation.
Les Amis: How well do you know Beauford's work?
FH: I'm not an expert! Although now I'm inspired to learn more.
Les Amis: What, if anything, about it inspires you?
FH: I find so much movement and depth of emotion in his portraits especially. The subject paint application embodies a lot of energy, and the background washes feel almost auric, creating a kind of halo. I feel they offer true access into the subject's internal state.
Les Amis: Are there any final thoughts you'd like to share?
FH: Just gratitude for the opportunity to support the A. J. William-Myers African Roots Center by celebrating Beauford Delaney. Thank you!
One Good Beauford Story Inspired Another
On July 2, 2022, I published a post about a splendid article that Scalawag Magazine published about Beauford.
Today, I'm sharing the backstory regarding this article.
Elaine Lee is one of America’s leading experts on travel. A San Francisco/Bay Area-based journalist, she has visited 65 countries and completed two solo trips around the world. She is the editor of “Go Girl” The Black Woman's Book of Travel and Adventure," and her website, ugogurl.com, is a leading portal for information on black travel, black travel writing and travel media information. She and I have known each other for many years.
I subscribe to the UGoGirl newsletter, and on Wednesday, August 31, I was thrilled to receive the message below (reprinted with permission). It is entitled "My Story about Delaney Didn't Make It to Press, but at Least I Inspired Another":
Greetings!
I hope this email finds you well.
When I visited Paris in 2019, I attended a play called Amazing Grace is Yellow – the Life of Beauford Delaney, Painter, written by Silver Wainhouse. Afterward, I spoke to Monique about the play as well as the documentary that she and Zach (Miller) were working on. I offered to write an article to help publicize their project and the growing resurgence of interest in Delaney's work.
I designed a pitch and sent it everywhere I could think of. I got nowhere - until I contacted Scalawag magazine, whose editor asked to see the story. Though she did not like it, she liked the idea and assigned the project to another writer, Tyra Seals, who did a fabulous job.
Even though my story about Delaney didn't make it to press, at least I inspired a magazine editor and another writer to carry out the project. There's no such thing as a small victory!I am grateful to Elaine Lee for her grace and humility in sharing this story with her audience and for allowing me to share it with you!
Below is the link to the story:
Out of the Shadows: The Queer Life of Artist Beauford Delaney
© Entrée to Black Paris
Beauford Featured in Scalawag Magazine
"Through journalism and storytelling, Scalawag works in solidarity with oppressed communities in the South to disrupt and shift the narratives that keep power and wealth in the hands of the few. Collectively, we pursue a more liberated South."
This is the mission statement of Scalawag Magazine, a Black-led, women run, nonprofit media outlet in Durham, NC that publishes works focused on Southern politics and culture. Launched through a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, its founders intend to challenge the status quo of the South through community-based journalism. One of the four values listed on its "About" page is "Radical imagination and creativity," which is a perfect descriptor for Beauford's art.
On June 29, 2022, Scalawag published a feature article about Beauford called "Out of the Shadows: The Queer Life of Artist Beauford Delaney." It was written by Tyra A. Seals, the independent research assistant at the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery who conducted archival research and developed the most updated existing chronology about Beauford Delaney for the MRG exhibition entitled Be Your Wonderful Self: The Portraits of Beauford Delaney.
Seals interviewed me for this article, and I was pleased to contribute the "before and after" photos of Beauford's grave that illustrate it.
Read the article HERE.
Photo Portraits of Beauford
Fair use claim
Photo: African-American Registry
Fair use claim
(ca. 1950)
Possibly by Gjon Mili
© Carl van Vechten 1953
© 1953 Carl Van Vechten
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
© 1953 Carl Van Vechten
Photo by Ahmed Bioud
Rue Guilleminot
France 1973
© Errol Sawyer
Cat Stevens' Yellow Delaney
A colleague recently contacted me to tell me about a client who is researching his recently purchased Beauford Delaney abstract. One of the things mentioned in his message was the fact that Cat Stevens (now known as Yusef / Cat Stevens) mentions Beauford in a song called "Into White." I was intrigued - of course - and immediately began investigating!
"Into White" is one of eleven songs recorded for Stevens' Tea for the Tillerman album, which was released in November 1970. The fanciful lyrics describe a house built by the songwriter and its surroundings. The materials used are barley rice, green pepper, and water ice...
Part of the second verse of the song goes as follows:
Yellow Delaney
Would sleep well at night
With everything emptying
Into white
In Googling the song, I found several chat threads where Stevens' fans discuss and attempt to understand the meaning of this lyric. References to Beauford as a painter who used the color "yellow" can be found in at least three of these threads.
I wondered whether Stevens collected art and might even own a Beauford Delaney painting. I did not find any information to support this, but I did learn that Stevens attended Hammersmith School of Art for a year.
I find Cat Stevens' music soothing and wonder if Beauford would have as well. Here is a yellow self-portrait that might have "slept well" in Stevens' barley rice home. Beauford painted it the same year that Stevens recorded and released "Into White."
(1970) Gouache on paper
Collection of David A. Leeming
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Listen to "Into White" by clicking on the image below.
Lucy Blue Shares Clarence Hagins' Memories of Beauford
In reference to Beauford's need for permanent care as a result of his declining physical and mental health, biographer David A. Leeming states in Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney that "...temporary relief came in the person of the young painter Clarence Hagins, who visited Beauford in December and spent many days, including Christmas 1973, with him."
Les Amis is privileged to have Lucy Blue, a close friend of Hagins, share an intimate view of Hagins' relationship with Beauford in this blog post. (Read Blue's personal memories of Beauford here.)
Photo courtesy of Lucy Blue
Les Amis: Tell us what you know about Clarence Hagins’ relationship with Beauford.
LB: Clarence was finding his way as an artist and I think he was looking to Beauford as a kind of trailblazer. The following entries from Clarence Hagins’ journal and letters may shed more light on his relationship with Beauford Delaney.*
* * *
An entry from Clarence Hagins’ journal of 12/22/1973:
Later Lucy and I saw Beauford Delaney—as we sat there in his little studio—on the Left Bank—I felt no romanticism—only pain—He was very nice to us—keep explaining why he had no money. People write and talk about his work, but keep the money.
Later he said he knew Picasso—Showed Lucy and I [sic] a painting he had done of Picasso—that was very simple—He said Picasso was old but like a child—really—we eat bread and other food that fell on the floor of his strange little junky (?) studio floor. —
Portrait of Pablo Picasso
Oil on canvas
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Christian Parramon
An entry from Clarence Hagins’ journal of 12/26/1973:
Last night Lucy and I were at the Dôme—with Beauford Delaney—I gave the waiter a small sketch. We saw photographs on the walls—of Dufy—Dali—many other painters. Lucy made a beautiful drawing of Beauford also.
After having a glass of red wine for 4 Fr each—we left—went back to Beauford’s place on the Rue Vercingétorix, apt. # 38, House 53—a street few would care to live on. Beauford had told Lucy she was "deep in the kingdom"—so deep she did not realize how deep. "Deep down," he said with a smile as only Beauford can give.
I did not know just what he called the kingdom. But if it was to live with very little money as he, —eat the worst food as he, have teeth that were in great need of dental care, and shoes with yellow string in them to keep them on one’s feet—I felt I wanted to get to hell out of the kingdom and fast—
Beauford is a charming person to be with—his physical state is very—frightening—but he is full of laughter—but I could see the pain in his face, I can see it in his walk, but he gets along somehow.—How I don’t know? —He tells me of his money problems—but I can’t help him at this time. What can I say? What can I do?
Clarence N. Hagins
Image courtesy of Shirley B. Johnson-White
* * *
An entry from Clarence Hagins’ journal of 1/7/1974:
We went to another section of Paris looking for a bath house—we each could have used one—but the bath house was closed on Monday—Tuesday—and Wednesday—
Self-portrait in a Paris Bath House
(1971) Oil on canvas
Knoxville Museum of Art
Knoxville, TN
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
From there we had hoped to go to Beauford Delaney’s place—but when we looked up Beauford was coming down the street—smiling as only Beauford can—(smile)—We three went to Le Dôme—had drinks—and returned to Beauford’s little place—
Beauford went on talking as he does—about people, not using any names—We talked of Picasso—not using his name. Beauford said he had met him many times in Paris. We had talked on and off about Jimmy.
* * *
An entry from Clarence Hagins’ journal of 1/31/1974:
Last Day in Paris
We walked into our French friend … —who was on his lunch hour. He said he would meet us at 7 p.m. in front of the Café Le Dôme.—Lucy and I went to find Beauford. We went to his house—but he was not home. We wanted to see him before going back—time was running out. Just as we were going to look for him—(walking fast we were)—he was coming toward us. The three of us left for the Café—met our friend and had dinner—
Later Lucy and I went back to Beauford’s—HE HAD NO LIGHTS. It was true. Life had gone from bad to worse—and Beauford so old, so lonely. He lit a candle—which was stuck in a bottle for us. There we were us three struggling around in the dark, Beauford trying to find a drawing to give each of us—things falling over—Beauford was suffering a kind of stress—and nervousness that I had started to know and understand…
* * *
An entry from Clarence Hagins’ journal of 1/31/1974, continued:
(in flight) Last day. …oh too well. —Seeing him struggle, talk to himself (as if we were not in the room with him)—He would say, "Oh no, not this one, I can’t give you that one.—Here, take this one—No—Give it back, I’ve got to show it."—On and on—like this Lucy lost faith—She could see how it was—the life of M. Artist—
He kept opening portfolios—one after the other, things falling on the floor, some drawing, 1940 or older, rags, hanging up, old rags on his bed, I was smoking. I came close to setting his bed on fire, it did catch. Lucy reached over and put it out—Beauford never saw it—
Oh God it was dark, we three could hardly see one another at times. People in the next building were making noise—Beauford would say—"Non, [?] stop, what’s that?—What they doing?"—Like some old Black man in Harlem who thinks people are fighting next door. He gave me another drawing, no, it’s the same one he gave me three times before and took back.—
Poor Lucy could not cope with his "yes, no, maybe so"—I could see she had given up—was I like this? Somewhat? Would I get more like this later? When approached by a friend for a drawing? Would the world keep me where they have always kept Beauford in "'Darkness'"—
Anyway Beauford had one little closet he kept looking in as if to find something—one of the two chairs were falling apart—as the three of us rotated from one to the other. He gave me the same drawing once again. This time I looked at it and I realized it was a man sweeping the street—a Black man sweeping a Paris street. At first the composition looked like a lot of lines drooped down—but when you see the man once, you see him forever sweeping.—
Street Sweeper (Le Balayeur)
(1968) Oil on canvas
Photo courtesy of Swann Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Time was running out. It was going on 10:00 p.m. and we had to go—so we could get some rest—Beauford said, "You are going tomorrow to America." —"Yes, Beauford." "How are you going, by boat? By train?" — "By plane." "What plane?" And he went on—"Now where did I put it?"
He looked up and said, "You know, it’s amazing. Tomorrow night this time you will be in America."—He gave us both a smile—the Beauford smile. His face looked somewhat like a child’s—we embraced him at the top of his stairs—He went in—his lonely Paris atelier—we went down. One could hear the door close behind us—I did all I could to hold back the tears.
Life had not been fair to him. His quest had not just been that of an artist, but that of a warm human who wanted to live a life worth living. And as he expressed to Lucy and I so sadly, "They come and they steal my drawings and things, I don’t know what I’ve got left." (OH GOD, I am crying and flying.) Perhaps it’s best I stop here.—
Lucy completed one last letter for me. Somehow we found a taxi. We took the train to the airport. I never like to say goodbye—because I realize with each goodbye—one moves closer to the time and place—where one has to say in every tongue at once the last and final—goodbye.
Amen.*Clarence Hagins' journal entries are reproduced here with the permission of his niece, Shirley B. Johnson-White.
Clarence Hagins Jan. 31, 1974.