Beauford and Dizzy Gillespie
Beauford counted Dizzy Gillespie among his friends. He was excited about seeing Gillespie perform at a "Jazz at the Philharmonic" concert at the Alhambra in June 1958. Artists Ray Brown, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Max Bennett, Herb Elis, Sonny Stitt, Roy Eldridge, Gus Johnson, Lou Levy, Pete Johnson, and Joe Turner were all part of the show.
Five of these artists can be seen playing together in the video below. The song is Gillespie's "Blues after Dark," recorded in 1958. Click on the image to watch!
Gillespie played in Paris frequently during Beauford's Paris years and regaled audiences at famous theaters such as the Olympia and the Salle Pleyel.
Five of these artists can be seen playing together in the video below. The song is Gillespie's "Blues after Dark," recorded in 1958. Click on the image to watch!
Gillespie played in Paris frequently during Beauford's Paris years and regaled audiences at famous theaters such as the Olympia and the Salle Pleyel.
Tending Beauford's Gravesite
Thursday was an absolutely gorgeous day in Paris, so my husband Tom and I took the opportunity to visit Beauford's gravesite. Because the finishing touches were being placed on his tombstone in July / August 2010, our visit represented an anniversary of sorts (see the sidebar for before and after photos).
I was pleased to see that the 86th Division had been recently cleared of overgrowing vegetation. The gravestone itself is in impeccable condition - all that I needed to do was clear a few stray pebbles and stones, remove soil and debris from beneath the ceramic flower arrangement, spray it, and wipe it down.
Tending the gravesite
© Discover Paris!
The money for renewal of the gravesite concession is once again due, but neither I nor Les Amis de Beauford Delaney can submit payment before Spring 2013. This date represents the expiration of the grace period during which a Delaney family member or a legal representative of Beauford's estate can come forward to renew the concession or make other arrangements for Beauford.
In the interim, I am comforted to know that the stone that Les Amis and so many contributors worked to have placed at the grave is as handsome and befitting of Beauford's dignity and spirit as the day it was laid.
I was pleased to see that the 86th Division had been recently cleared of overgrowing vegetation. The gravestone itself is in impeccable condition - all that I needed to do was clear a few stray pebbles and stones, remove soil and debris from beneath the ceramic flower arrangement, spray it, and wipe it down.
© Discover Paris!
The money for renewal of the gravesite concession is once again due, but neither I nor Les Amis de Beauford Delaney can submit payment before Spring 2013. This date represents the expiration of the grace period during which a Delaney family member or a legal representative of Beauford's estate can come forward to renew the concession or make other arrangements for Beauford.
In the interim, I am comforted to know that the stone that Les Amis and so many contributors worked to have placed at the grave is as handsome and befitting of Beauford's dignity and spirit as the day it was laid.
Beauford's Art - Monotypes
In surfing the Web the other day, I came across an interesting tidbit of information about Beauford's art: he created monotypes - prints that are produced using a technique through which a painted image is transferred through pressure to a sheet of paper, producing a unique impression.
Searching further, I found images of two of Beauford's monotypes that Swann Galleries auctioned in 2008 and 2010. The gallery describes the first print as a "possible self-portrait":
Untitled (Smiling Man)
(circa 1960-65) Color oil monotype
Photo courtesy of Swann Galleries
The second work is described as follows:
Untitled (Istanbul, Turkey)
(1966) Oil monotype on thick cream wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Galleries
The "self-portrait" sold for $30,000 at auction in 2008, while the painting of Istanbul was unsold in 2010.
The Istanbul painting was illustrated in the catalog of an exposition of American monotypes called Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America that was mounted by the National Museum of American Art at The Smithsonian in 1997. Beauford's painting did not actually hang at this exposition.
Searching further, I found images of two of Beauford's monotypes that Swann Galleries auctioned in 2008 and 2010. The gallery describes the first print as a "possible self-portrait":
(circa 1960-65) Color oil monotype
Photo courtesy of Swann Galleries
The second work is described as follows:
This striking and large montoype dates from the summer of 1966 when Beauford Delaney traveled to Istanbul to visit James Baldwin after attending the Venice Biennale.
(1966) Oil monotype on thick cream wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Galleries
The "self-portrait" sold for $30,000 at auction in 2008, while the painting of Istanbul was unsold in 2010.
The Istanbul painting was illustrated in the catalog of an exposition of American monotypes called Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America that was mounted by the National Museum of American Art at The Smithsonian in 1997. Beauford's painting did not actually hang at this exposition.
Invitation to a Gathering of Souls
Last month, E.L. Kornegay, Jr. contributed the first of a series of articles that explore his experiences and reflections in the scholarly pursuit of Beauford's life and art. Today he brings us Part Two of "re-Searching Beauford Delaney."
************
“Invitation to a Gathering of Souls”
re-Searching Beauford Delaney: Part Two
by E. L. Kornegay, Jr., Ph. D.
I cannot say, with all honesty, that I ever imagined I would get this close to Beauford Delaney. Yet, here I am feeling in some way that it was intended for me to be standing in the midst of his memory and his artistic legacy.
There are many who both love and appreciate Beauford Delaney. In fact my formal introduction into his world came by way of a chance third party connection to Monique Wells. She was in Chicago to do a presentation on Beauford Delaney and the efforts of Les Amis. While we were unfortunately unable to meet face-to-face, Monique graciously chatted with me over the phone. She is the first soul I would encounter gathered around Beauford. This leads me to say while I first heard of Beauford through my research on James Baldwin, I feel that I was formally introduced to Beauford through Monique.
This is at the heart of what I feel is so much of who Beauford Delaney was in life and what keeps him alive in the hearts and minds of many. Beauford’s art gives his soul tangibility. His art is a tangible expression of his soul and an invitation to be in his company.
Beauford among his paintings
Photo from Darthea Speyer Gallery Invitation to
1973 Beauford Delaney Solo Exposition
I am beginning to see Beauford’s art as a collection of invitations: a history of the souls he encountered. Seeing him standing amongst his paintings, whether it is the work of his early period, first in Boston and then New York or the latter period in Europe, a sense of community emerges. These images are not a collection of paintings: each is a uniquely crafted expression of a soul he met or souls he felt and could only gauge abstractly. I can only imagine the beauty behind the madness of feeling but not knowing, and the power it took to capture it on canvas. As such, it seems to me that Beauford would think it strange to see him apart from his art – to be located alongside its beauty yet somehow separated from the madness. Beauford moves amongst his art, a gleeful host cherishing the wild and peaceful presence of colorful souls in his space. Beauford did not create a collection of art: Beauford Delaney proffered a gathering of souls.
As I encounter, one by one, the paintings of Beauford, I sense that each piece is insistent. Each work invites you not merely to view it, but to encounter its presence and to feel what you see inside of its colors, shapes, and textures. This goes on from one painting to another in the way a conversation amongst friends flows naturally when gathered together. The gift of seeing his paintings as a whole is to be invited into a cloud of witnesses. You cannot know one: you must know them all.
I am grateful for the invitation and awestruck by the gathering of souls around Beauford Delaney. Henry Miller writes “Beauford was an artist before birth; he was an artist in the womb…”1 In other words Beauford painted from his soul: even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. So Beauford paints to gather us together and invites us to remember those things before we were formed, where beauty is pure and madness is a mirage.
1Henry Miller, The Amazing and Invariable Beauford Delaney. (New York: New Directions), 1941.
re-Searching Beauford Delaney: Part Two
by E. L. Kornegay, Jr., Ph. D.
I cannot say, with all honesty, that I ever imagined I would get this close to Beauford Delaney. Yet, here I am feeling in some way that it was intended for me to be standing in the midst of his memory and his artistic legacy.
There are many who both love and appreciate Beauford Delaney. In fact my formal introduction into his world came by way of a chance third party connection to Monique Wells. She was in Chicago to do a presentation on Beauford Delaney and the efforts of Les Amis. While we were unfortunately unable to meet face-to-face, Monique graciously chatted with me over the phone. She is the first soul I would encounter gathered around Beauford. This leads me to say while I first heard of Beauford through my research on James Baldwin, I feel that I was formally introduced to Beauford through Monique.
This is at the heart of what I feel is so much of who Beauford Delaney was in life and what keeps him alive in the hearts and minds of many. Beauford’s art gives his soul tangibility. His art is a tangible expression of his soul and an invitation to be in his company.
Photo from Darthea Speyer Gallery Invitation to
1973 Beauford Delaney Solo Exposition
I am beginning to see Beauford’s art as a collection of invitations: a history of the souls he encountered. Seeing him standing amongst his paintings, whether it is the work of his early period, first in Boston and then New York or the latter period in Europe, a sense of community emerges. These images are not a collection of paintings: each is a uniquely crafted expression of a soul he met or souls he felt and could only gauge abstractly. I can only imagine the beauty behind the madness of feeling but not knowing, and the power it took to capture it on canvas. As such, it seems to me that Beauford would think it strange to see him apart from his art – to be located alongside its beauty yet somehow separated from the madness. Beauford moves amongst his art, a gleeful host cherishing the wild and peaceful presence of colorful souls in his space. Beauford did not create a collection of art: Beauford Delaney proffered a gathering of souls.
As I encounter, one by one, the paintings of Beauford, I sense that each piece is insistent. Each work invites you not merely to view it, but to encounter its presence and to feel what you see inside of its colors, shapes, and textures. This goes on from one painting to another in the way a conversation amongst friends flows naturally when gathered together. The gift of seeing his paintings as a whole is to be invited into a cloud of witnesses. You cannot know one: you must know them all.
I am grateful for the invitation and awestruck by the gathering of souls around Beauford Delaney. Henry Miller writes “Beauford was an artist before birth; he was an artist in the womb…”1 In other words Beauford painted from his soul: even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. So Beauford paints to gather us together and invites us to remember those things before we were formed, where beauty is pure and madness is a mirage.
1Henry Miller, The Amazing and Invariable Beauford Delaney. (New York: New Directions), 1941.
Beauford in Boston: Public Garden and Boston Common
Last week, I shared several photos of Copley Place and the north slope of Beacon Hill - areas that Beauford frequented when he lived in Boston (1923-1929). In the same spirit, today I bring you photos of the Public Garden and Boston Common.
Public Garden
© Discover Paris!
In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
, David A. Leeming describes how Beauford wandered around the old city during his first months in Boston. He talks of the Wendell Phillips Memorial Statue in the Public Garden as a place where Beauford listened to speeches and lectures.
Wendell Phillips Memorial
© Discover Paris!
He indicates that Beauford met Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis at the Garden and indicates that Beauford heard John Haynes Holmes preach at the Community Church of Boston located just south of the Garden on Carver Street (renamed Charles Street South). He also mentions Beauford's first "intimate experience," a sexual encounter that took place in one of the swan boats on the pond in the garden.
Swan boats at Public Garden
© Discover Paris!
Leeming devotes an entire paragraph to Beauford's admiration of the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial in the Boston Common.
Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial
© Discover Paris!
The bronze sculpture is the first stop on Boston's Black Heritage Trail.
Black Heritage Trail Sign
© Discover Paris!
Created in 1897 by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in honor of the first black military regiment recruited by the North during the Civil War, it faces the Massachusetts State House - a building that Beauford admired.
Massachusetts State House (Beacon Street entrance)
© Discover Paris!
I learned a great deal about this sculpture from Ranger Todd MacGowen of the National Park Service*. MacGowan pointed out how the soldiers are portrayed with solemn dignity, each with distinct facial features. This contrasts with the generic, stereotypical way that blacks were portrayed in art during the era.
Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial (detail-1)
© Discover Paris!
Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial (detail-2)
© Discover Paris!
He also indicated that while the horse in the sculpture appears skittish and frightened (eyes bulging, nostrils flared, mouth open), the soldiers appear calm and determined.
Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial (detail-3)
© Discover Paris!
The 54th Regiment, led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw of Boston, left Boston to go to war by marching down Beacon Street in front of the State House. Several surviving members of the regiment attended the dedication ceremony for the memorial 34 years later.
*The National Park Service has organized a guided walking tour of the Black Heritage Trail, which I highly recommend. For information, visit www.nps.gov/boaf.
© Discover Paris!
In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
, David A. Leeming describes how Beauford wandered around the old city during his first months in Boston. He talks of the Wendell Phillips Memorial Statue in the Public Garden as a place where Beauford listened to speeches and lectures.
© Discover Paris!
He indicates that Beauford met Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis at the Garden and indicates that Beauford heard John Haynes Holmes preach at the Community Church of Boston located just south of the Garden on Carver Street (renamed Charles Street South). He also mentions Beauford's first "intimate experience," a sexual encounter that took place in one of the swan boats on the pond in the garden.
© Discover Paris!
Leeming devotes an entire paragraph to Beauford's admiration of the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial in the Boston Common.
© Discover Paris!
The bronze sculpture is the first stop on Boston's Black Heritage Trail.
© Discover Paris!
Created in 1897 by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in honor of the first black military regiment recruited by the North during the Civil War, it faces the Massachusetts State House - a building that Beauford admired.
© Discover Paris!
I learned a great deal about this sculpture from Ranger Todd MacGowen of the National Park Service*. MacGowan pointed out how the soldiers are portrayed with solemn dignity, each with distinct facial features. This contrasts with the generic, stereotypical way that blacks were portrayed in art during the era.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
He also indicated that while the horse in the sculpture appears skittish and frightened (eyes bulging, nostrils flared, mouth open), the soldiers appear calm and determined.
© Discover Paris!
The 54th Regiment, led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw of Boston, left Boston to go to war by marching down Beacon Street in front of the State House. Several surviving members of the regiment attended the dedication ceremony for the memorial 34 years later.
*The National Park Service has organized a guided walking tour of the Black Heritage Trail, which I highly recommend. For information, visit www.nps.gov/boaf.
Beauford in Boston: Copley Square and Black Beacon Hill
I visited Boston this week and was anxious to see some of the places that Beauford frequented during the six years that he lived here in the mid- to late 1920s. What I know of this period comes from Beauford's biography - Amazing Grace. I took photos of several locations mentioned in the biography and am pleased to share them with you in this posting, which is the first of two that explore "Beauford in Boston."
Beauford frequented the Boston Public Library at Copley Square. An avid reader, he spent a good deal of time there.
Boston Public Library
© Discover Paris!
Trinity Church dominates Copley Square. George Ruffin, a close friend of Beauford and a member of a prominent black Boston family, was a soloist at this church. Beauford attended many concerts there.
Trinity Church viewed from Dartmouth Street
© Discover Paris!
The Ruffins lived on Charles Street, which traverses Beacon Hill. Beauford attended the Charles Street Meeting House, located at the corner of Mt. Vernon Street and Charles Street on the north slope of the hill. This side of the hill was more densely populated and integrated than the southern slope that faces Boston Common.
Charles Street Meeting House
© Discover Paris!
The meeting house was constructed by the Third Baptist Church of Boston in 1807. The congregation maintained segregated seating. Timothy Gilbert, a white member of the congregation, was expelled during the 1830s for inviting black friends to sit with him in his pew. Gilbert and others went on to found the First Baptist Free Church - one of the first integrated churches in America.
In 1876, the AME Church purchased the Charles Street building. It served as the congregation's home until 1939 and occupied the church at the time that Beauford lived in Boston (1923-1929).
Beauford's biography indicates that Beauford admired the old homes on Beacon Hill and especially liked those on Louisburg Square.
Louisburg Square, 1930
Photographer: Leon H. Abdalian
Source: Wikipedia Commons
Louisburg Square today
© Discover Paris!
The Charles Street Meeting House is a featured stop and Louisburg Square is on the route followed by Boston's Black Heritage Trail.
Black Heritage Trail Sign
© Discover Paris!
I highly recommend this walk, which is organized by the National Park Service. For information, visit www.nps.gov/boaf.
Next week: The Public Gardens and Boston Common
. I took photos of several locations mentioned in the biography and am pleased to share them with you in this posting, which is the first of two that explore "Beauford in Boston."Beauford frequented the Boston Public Library at Copley Square. An avid reader, he spent a good deal of time there.
© Discover Paris!
Trinity Church dominates Copley Square. George Ruffin, a close friend of Beauford and a member of a prominent black Boston family, was a soloist at this church. Beauford attended many concerts there.
© Discover Paris!
The Ruffins lived on Charles Street, which traverses Beacon Hill. Beauford attended the Charles Street Meeting House, located at the corner of Mt. Vernon Street and Charles Street on the north slope of the hill. This side of the hill was more densely populated and integrated than the southern slope that faces Boston Common.
© Discover Paris!
The meeting house was constructed by the Third Baptist Church of Boston in 1807. The congregation maintained segregated seating. Timothy Gilbert, a white member of the congregation, was expelled during the 1830s for inviting black friends to sit with him in his pew. Gilbert and others went on to found the First Baptist Free Church - one of the first integrated churches in America.
In 1876, the AME Church purchased the Charles Street building. It served as the congregation's home until 1939 and occupied the church at the time that Beauford lived in Boston (1923-1929).
Beauford's biography indicates that Beauford admired the old homes on Beacon Hill and especially liked those on Louisburg Square.
Photographer: Leon H. Abdalian
Source: Wikipedia Commons
© Discover Paris!
The Charles Street Meeting House is a featured stop and Louisburg Square is on the route followed by Boston's Black Heritage Trail.
© Discover Paris!
I highly recommend this walk, which is organized by the National Park Service. For information, visit www.nps.gov/boaf.
Next week: The Public Gardens and Boston Common
Beauford in Spain
A trip to Valencia, Spain last weekend inspired me to reflect on Beauford's travels to this beautiful country.
Beach and Mediterranean Sea at Valencia, Spain
© Discover Paris!
Beauford traveled to Spain several times after moving to Paris. In 1955, he went to Madrid with his dear friend Larry Calcagno. Calcagno's work was being exhibited at the Gallery Clan and the two men went to see the show. Calcagno was able to persuade the gallery to hold a show for Beauford that June - one that was quite successful because it was Beauford's first solo show in Europe and because several paintings were sold.
In August 1956, Calcagno took Beauford to Ibiza and Majorca (3-4 hours from Valencia via rapid ferry). Ibiza was where Beauford first experienced Fauré's Requiem, the music in which he would later find solace after his mother died. According to biographer David Leeming, Beauford loved the colors of the Mediterranean and painted many watercolors while there.
Charley and Rita Boggs took Beauford to San Telmo, Majorca after his breakdown in Greece in 1961. This trip was therapeutic for him and though it was not as carefree as his previous visits to the area, he did manage to paint some watercolors there.
Beach and Mediterranean Sea at Valencia, Spain
© Discover Paris!
Beauford traveled to Spain several times after moving to Paris. In 1955, he went to Madrid with his dear friend Larry Calcagno. Calcagno's work was being exhibited at the Gallery Clan and the two men went to see the show. Calcagno was able to persuade the gallery to hold a show for Beauford that June - one that was quite successful because it was Beauford's first solo show in Europe and because several paintings were sold.
In August 1956, Calcagno took Beauford to Ibiza and Majorca (3-4 hours from Valencia via rapid ferry). Ibiza was where Beauford first experienced Fauré's Requiem, the music in which he would later find solace after his mother died. According to biographer David Leeming
, Beauford loved the colors of the Mediterranean and painted many watercolors while there.Charley and Rita Boggs took Beauford to San Telmo, Majorca after his breakdown in Greece in 1961. This trip was therapeutic for him and though it was not as carefree as his previous visits to the area, he did manage to paint some watercolors there.
Beauford and Marian Anderson
Beauford loved Marian Anderson and her music. He captured her likeness in many sketches and paintings, including a portrait painted in 1965.
Marian Anderson
(1965) Oil on canvas
Photo from Harvard Gazette Archives
In 1956, he heard her perform in a "thrilling concert"* in Paris.
Anderson performed Kindertotenlieder by Gustav Mahler at this event. She sang in German, accompanied by the French National Radio Orchestra, at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées on November 22nd. The conductor of the orchestra was Jascha Horenstein.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
© Discover Paris!
While I have not been able to access any excerpts of the recording made of this concert, I was able to find a YouTube recording of Anderson performing the same music accompanied by the San Francisco Orchestra in 1950. Click here to listen!
*Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, by David Leeming
Marian Anderson
(1965) Oil on canvas
Photo from Harvard Gazette Archives
In 1956, he heard her perform in a "thrilling concert"* in Paris.
Anderson performed Kindertotenlieder by Gustav Mahler at this event. She sang in German, accompanied by the French National Radio Orchestra, at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées on November 22nd. The conductor of the orchestra was Jascha Horenstein.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
© Discover Paris!
While I have not been able to access any excerpts of the recording made of this concert, I was able to find a YouTube recording of Anderson performing the same music accompanied by the San Francisco Orchestra in 1950. Click here to listen!
*Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
, by David LeemingBeauford and Mary Painter
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney recently received the wonderful gift of a copy of James Baldwin's Going to Meet the Man that contains a handwritten dedication from Beauford to his dear friend Mary Painter. Many thanks to Catherine Manini for donating the book to Les Amis as a result of her search for information about Beauford and Baldwin.
***********
One of Beauford's best friends in Paris was Mary Painter. She was an American economist who worked on the Marshall Plan after World War II and at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among other places. Beauford met her because of her friendship with James Baldwin. Beauford met Painter in 1953 on his first full day in Paris - the day that Baldwin saw Beauford walking along boulevard Saint Germain in front of the Café de Flore. Baldwin was at the Flore having a drink with Painter at the time.
Paris - Café de Flore
ca. 1950 © Roger-Viollet
Painter was present at memorable moments in Beauford's life in Paris. For example, she attended the party held at Beauford's studio at the Hôtel des Ecoles in December 1955, after which the hotel's owner accused Beauford of putting up a guest without paying. This incident led to Beauford's move to Clamart, and he called upon Painter to help him pack. She was in Paris at the time that Beauford was mourning the death of his mother in 1958, and invited Beauford to spend as much time at her apartment as he wished. Beauford visited London for the first time with Painter in December 1963.
It seems fitting, therefore, that Beauford would give a copy of the London publication of James Baldwin's book Going to Meet the Man to Mary as a Christmas gift. Baldwin dedicated the novel to Beauford, and Beauford wrote a personal dedication to Painter in the copy that he gave to her.
Book images courtesy of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney
Beauford's friends Bernard Hassell and Richard Olney lived in Solliès-Toucas, a town near Toulon, in the early 1960s. Painter accompanied Beauford on a visit there in 1963, and would move there herself ten years later. Beauford produces an abstract painting called Solliès-Toucas in 1963. It is now held by Aaron Galleries in Glenview, IL (near Chicago).
Solliès Toucas
(Beauford's gift to Roy Freeman)
(1963) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Roy Freeman
One of Beauford's best friends in Paris was Mary Painter. She was an American economist who worked on the Marshall Plan after World War II and at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among other places. Beauford met her because of her friendship with James Baldwin. Beauford met Painter in 1953 on his first full day in Paris - the day that Baldwin saw Beauford walking along boulevard Saint Germain in front of the Café de Flore. Baldwin was at the Flore having a drink with Painter at the time.
Paris - Café de Flore
ca. 1950 © Roger-Viollet
Painter was present at memorable moments in Beauford's life in Paris. For example, she attended the party held at Beauford's studio at the Hôtel des Ecoles in December 1955, after which the hotel's owner accused Beauford of putting up a guest without paying. This incident led to Beauford's move to Clamart, and he called upon Painter to help him pack. She was in Paris at the time that Beauford was mourning the death of his mother in 1958, and invited Beauford to spend as much time at her apartment as he wished. Beauford visited London for the first time with Painter in December 1963.
It seems fitting, therefore, that Beauford would give a copy of the London publication of James Baldwin's book Going to Meet the Man to Mary as a Christmas gift. Baldwin dedicated the novel to Beauford, and Beauford wrote a personal dedication to Painter in the copy that he gave to her.
Book images courtesy of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney
Beauford's friends Bernard Hassell and Richard Olney lived in Solliès-Toucas, a town near Toulon, in the early 1960s. Painter accompanied Beauford on a visit there in 1963, and would move there herself ten years later. Beauford produces an abstract painting called Solliès-Toucas in 1963. It is now held by Aaron Galleries in Glenview, IL (near Chicago).
Solliès Toucas
(Beauford's gift to Roy Freeman)
(1963) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Roy Freeman
re-Searching Beauford Delaney: An Uneven Introduction
E.L. Kornegay, Jr. contributed two postings to the Les Amis blog in 2011: Beauford Delaney: The Artisan as Witness and Why Artisan? Thinking about Beauford. He has completed his doctoral research on James Baldwin, including Beauford’s influence on Baldwin, and is now turning his attention to a full-fledged scholarly investigation of Beauford’s life and work. I am thrilled to present his latest contribution to the blog, which recounts the first steps on his journey to re-Search Beauford!
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The “Lovely Fortress”
re-Searching Beauford Delaney: An Uneven Introduction
by E. L. Kornegay, Jr., Ph. D.
This is the first reflection in a series that chronicles my research on Beauford Delaney. It is through collaborating with Monique Wells that I am guided into the work, life, and spirit of the Lovely Fortress: Beauford Delaney.
I recently visited the Art Institute of Chicago with a singular purpose in mind: to view the work of Beauford Delaney. I had secured an opportunity that gave me access to his works held in storage and the chance to thumb through some of the research associated with the man and his art.
I was told to go to a back entrance, next to the loading dock, where I would be given a visitor’s pass and made to wait for my contact. There on the side of the building, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the unceremonious off-loading of items heading into the guts of the building, security personnel methodically earning their hourly wage, and a handful of men hanging a poster on a wall next to me, I waited to begin my search for Beauford.
On the surface this description might seem superfluous, an unrelated and unworthy accoutrement to this research project and process. However, I think it conveys a perspective: one that is reflective of how to approach Beauford in order to properly research his work, his life, and his spirit. I was not brought through the front of the Art Institute, to walk up the main steps, on the Avenue, through its impressive galleries as an invited guest. No. Visiting Beauford required an alternative route, through a back door, off the beaten path, rather unnoticed, without fanfare, and disregarded. I knew, right then, that there is something unique about what I am encountering in the way of re-Searching Beauford.
Immediately I shifted my expectations from the cerebral to the spiritual: I was not a scholar doing research, but a guest of Beauford. re-Searching means that I am re-introducing myself to Beauford in a very personal, very intimate, and very spiritual way. The word "re-Search" is a neologism intended to signify différence in my approach to Beauford. I am beginning to see Beauford for myself and in doing so re-determining, re-visiting, re-inventing, what his work, life, and spirit means to me and for me. So, it was not meant for me to come through the front door as a guest might do, but through the back door as a family member or a familiar friend might do: différence!
I met someone – a lady (I am intentionally leaving her unnamed) – who whisked me down, and I do mean down, a service corridor to a vault in the belly of the building. There inside of the vault I saw for the very first time, Beauford’s work in person. It was an untitled abstract painted in 1965.
Untitled by Beauford Delaney
(1965) Oil on canvas
© E.L. Kornegay, Jr.
The colors were vibrant! I could see the artistry and craftsmanship: it was as if he had left a message securely placed within the painting itself. The message expressed control, lucidity, with a subtle protest against any attempts to segregate hues one from another. The colors were a commanding blend of pigments, a lovely fortress holding and protecting a message of togetherness for anyone who was willing to search for it. All of the colors belonged together and from behind them and in between the colors all sorts of visual possibilities emerge. The spirituality of love gets expressed in the work of Beauford.
Untitled by Beauford Delaney (detail)
(1965) Oil on canvas
© E.L. Kornegay, Jr.
For twenty or so minutes I studied the painting. I sought angles and distances, I moved about it creating a dialogue between my eyes, mind and spirit. The distance I felt in my initial entrance into the Art Institute was abated by the warmth I felt viewing and re-Searching Beauford’s painting. It was a wonderful “hello”!
I am just beginning to do more in-depth research into Beauford Delaney. The lack of fanfare, the common view of the world, the back door of human life and culture – its pigmentation – is what Beauford masterfully manipulated. In order to see what he sees, you must enter the world from his point of view: not through the front door, but from the back or the side, maybe the underside where the pillars upon which the world is built hold the most beauty and the most love.
re-Searching Beauford Delaney: An Uneven Introduction
by E. L. Kornegay, Jr., Ph. D.
This is the first reflection in a series that chronicles my research on Beauford Delaney. It is through collaborating with Monique Wells that I am guided into the work, life, and spirit of the Lovely Fortress: Beauford Delaney.
I recently visited the Art Institute of Chicago with a singular purpose in mind: to view the work of Beauford Delaney. I had secured an opportunity that gave me access to his works held in storage and the chance to thumb through some of the research associated with the man and his art.
I was told to go to a back entrance, next to the loading dock, where I would be given a visitor’s pass and made to wait for my contact. There on the side of the building, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the unceremonious off-loading of items heading into the guts of the building, security personnel methodically earning their hourly wage, and a handful of men hanging a poster on a wall next to me, I waited to begin my search for Beauford.
On the surface this description might seem superfluous, an unrelated and unworthy accoutrement to this research project and process. However, I think it conveys a perspective: one that is reflective of how to approach Beauford in order to properly research his work, his life, and his spirit. I was not brought through the front of the Art Institute, to walk up the main steps, on the Avenue, through its impressive galleries as an invited guest. No. Visiting Beauford required an alternative route, through a back door, off the beaten path, rather unnoticed, without fanfare, and disregarded. I knew, right then, that there is something unique about what I am encountering in the way of re-Searching Beauford.
Immediately I shifted my expectations from the cerebral to the spiritual: I was not a scholar doing research, but a guest of Beauford. re-Searching means that I am re-introducing myself to Beauford in a very personal, very intimate, and very spiritual way. The word "re-Search" is a neologism intended to signify différence in my approach to Beauford. I am beginning to see Beauford for myself and in doing so re-determining, re-visiting, re-inventing, what his work, life, and spirit means to me and for me. So, it was not meant for me to come through the front door as a guest might do, but through the back door as a family member or a familiar friend might do: différence!
I met someone – a lady (I am intentionally leaving her unnamed) – who whisked me down, and I do mean down, a service corridor to a vault in the belly of the building. There inside of the vault I saw for the very first time, Beauford’s work in person. It was an untitled abstract painted in 1965.
(1965) Oil on canvas
© E.L. Kornegay, Jr.
The colors were vibrant! I could see the artistry and craftsmanship: it was as if he had left a message securely placed within the painting itself. The message expressed control, lucidity, with a subtle protest against any attempts to segregate hues one from another. The colors were a commanding blend of pigments, a lovely fortress holding and protecting a message of togetherness for anyone who was willing to search for it. All of the colors belonged together and from behind them and in between the colors all sorts of visual possibilities emerge. The spirituality of love gets expressed in the work of Beauford.
(1965) Oil on canvas
© E.L. Kornegay, Jr.
For twenty or so minutes I studied the painting. I sought angles and distances, I moved about it creating a dialogue between my eyes, mind and spirit. The distance I felt in my initial entrance into the Art Institute was abated by the warmth I felt viewing and re-Searching Beauford’s painting. It was a wonderful “hello”!
I am just beginning to do more in-depth research into Beauford Delaney. The lack of fanfare, the common view of the world, the back door of human life and culture – its pigmentation – is what Beauford masterfully manipulated. In order to see what he sees, you must enter the world from his point of view: not through the front door, but from the back or the side, maybe the underside where the pillars upon which the world is built hold the most beauty and the most love.
Beauford's Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral and Fauré's Requiem
Beauford lost his mother in February 1958 and mourned her death well into the month of May. According to his biography, Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, he heard Gabriel Fauré's Requiem performed at Notre Dame Cathedral and began to consider it a requiem for her.
Notre Dame Cathedral
© Discover Paris!
Click here* to listen to the Paris Orchestra and the Choir of the Paris Orchestra perform this magnificent work.
*Free of charge after watching the advertisement
, he heard Gabriel Fauré's Requiem performed at Notre Dame Cathedral and began to consider it a requiem for her.
© Discover Paris!
Click here* to listen to the Paris Orchestra and the Choir of the Paris Orchestra perform this magnificent work.
*Free of charge after watching the advertisement
Beauford's Gumbo Recipe
During his New York years, Beauford submitted a recipe for gumbo to Grenwich Village Gourmet. One of our readers, Raymina Mays, graciously sent me images of the cover of the publication and the recipe* itself, which is signed by Beauford.
Thanks, Raymina, for this invaluable contribution to the Les Amis blog!
*In Amazing Grace, David A. Leeming indicates that the recipe was published in 1949 and that according to Beauford's family tradition, his maternal grandfather had come from Dahomey.
Thanks, Raymina, for this invaluable contribution to the Les Amis blog!
*In Amazing Grace
, David A. Leeming indicates that the recipe was published in 1949 and that according to Beauford's family tradition, his maternal grandfather had come from Dahomey.Beauford's Art - The Clamart Years
Last week's posting featured Beauford's home in Clamart, a suburb located 9 km (~5.6 miles) south of Paris.
In James Baldwin's introduction to Beauford's 1964 exposition at the Gallery Lambert in Paris, Baldwin states that Beauford's paintings "underwent a most striking metamorphosis into freedom" during his years in Clamart. While I do not pretend to have vast knowledge of what Beauford produced during these years, I am taking the liberty of bringing you a few pieces from this period (1956-late 1961/early 1962) that I consider to be extraordinary. Enjoy!
Untitled (Yellow Abstraction)
(c. 1958-1959) Oil on paper, laid down on canvas
Aaron Galleries
Untitled (Abstract Composition)
(1961) Oil monotype on heavy wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Untitled
(1957) Oil on canvas
© Collection Centre Pompidou, Dist. RMN / Philippe Migeat
Untitled
(c. 1956) Watercolor and gouache on paper
Collection of the Delaney Estate
Nativity Scene
(1961) Oil on canvas
Private collection
In James Baldwin's introduction to Beauford's 1964 exposition at the Gallery Lambert in Paris, Baldwin states that Beauford's paintings "underwent a most striking metamorphosis into freedom" during his years in Clamart. While I do not pretend to have vast knowledge of what Beauford produced during these years, I am taking the liberty of bringing you a few pieces from this period (1956-late 1961/early 1962) that I consider to be extraordinary. Enjoy!
(c. 1958-1959) Oil on paper, laid down on canvas
Aaron Galleries
(1961) Oil monotype on heavy wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
(1957) Oil on canvas
© Collection Centre Pompidou, Dist. RMN / Philippe Migeat
(c. 1956) Watercolor and gouache on paper
Collection of the Delaney Estate
(1961) Oil on canvas
Private collection
Clamart: Beauford's Suburban Paris Home
In his introduction for Beauford's 1964 exposition at the Gallery Lambert in Paris, James Baldwin wrote:
. It stands at the top of a hill, a few doors away from the five-point roundabout at place Marquis and nestled between two other free-standing dwellings behind a stone wall.
68, rue Paul Vaillant Couturier, Clamart
© Discover Paris!
In any case, from Tennessee, he eventually came to Paris (I have the impression that he walked and swam) and for awhile lived in a suburb of Paris, Clamart...I visited the city of Clamart earlier this week to find this house, the address of which—68, rue Paul Vaillant Couturier—is indicated in Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
There was a window in Beauford's house in Clamart before which we often sat—late at night, early in the morning, at noon. This window looked out on a garden; or rather, it would have looked out on a garden if it had not been for the leaves and branches of a large tree which pressed directly against the window.
Everything one saw from this window, then, was filtered through these leaves...
. It stands at the top of a hill, a few doors away from the five-point roundabout at place Marquis and nestled between two other free-standing dwellings behind a stone wall.
© Discover Paris!
Biographer David A. Leeming tells us that the apartment was on the ground floor and that the window looked onto a garden in the back of the house. Though I was unable to enter the property at No. 68, I was able to see part of a garden behind a gate a few doors down the street; perhaps its appearance approximates what Beauford and Baldwin saw through Beauford's window:
© Discover Paris!
Beauford lived in Clamart from 1956 until late 1961-early 1962. I have been unable to find any photos of the area, or of the city in general, that date from this period. However, many of the buildings in the immediate vicinity appear to be old enough to have existed then.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Significant renovation of such buildings is ongoing in the area, so at least some of the character of the neighborhood is being preserved.
The bar-tabac-brasserie Le Narval, on the other hand, has no genteel architectural features. It is located at 72, rue Paul Vaillant Couturier, on the corner with rue des Rochers and place Marquis.
© Discover Paris!
Beauford's home was ideally situated in that he was only a few blocks from the center of town and only two blocks from the forest called Bois de Clamart. Leeming tells us that he called it his "place in the country."
Today, small private lanes,
© Discover Paris!
wisteria tumbling gracefully over stone walls,
© Discover Paris!
and dazzling flower beds in public areas
© Discover Paris!
preserve a bit of the country atmosphere that Beauford enjoyed during his time there.
Beauford at the Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem presented the first retrospective exposition of Beauford's work in 1978.
The exhibit was mounted with the financial support of the Exxon Corporation and the National Endowment for the Arts and was open to the public from April 9 through July 2. It was the first of the museum's Black Masters series - major retrospectives organized with the intent to recognize the work of master African-American painters whose talent and achievements risked being ignored or forgotten. Hale Woodruff and Charles White were the second and third artists, respectively, whose works were featured in this series.
Richard A. Long, who has provided written (Richard A. Long and Beauford Delaney) and video (Richard A. Long Talks about Beauford - Part 1) tributes to Beauford for this blog, conceived of the exposition and organized the show. He was responsible for gathering Beauford's paintings in Paris and having them shipped to the U.S. for the exhibition. Over 60 paintings were shown and most of these were from Beauford's Paris years. Long presents the story of how he came to be the curator of the Studio Museum exposition in Part 2 of his video tribute to Beauford.
The photo on the cover of the catalog was taken by Ahmed Bioud, one of the seven members of the tutelle (trusteeship) that was created by the French government to take care of Beauford's affairs while he was institutionalized at Sainte Anne's Hospital in Paris. One of the portraits that Beauford painted of Bioud was among the works shown in the exhibit.
The catalog features a foreword by Mary Schmidt Campbell, then executive director of the museum; an introduction by Richard A. Long; the chapbook text "The Amazing and Invariable Beauford Delaney" by Henry Miller; and tributes by James Baldwin and Beauford's brother, Joseph. Representations of the works exposed are reproduced in color and black & white. A chronology of Beauford's life and a brief bibliography of publications that mention or feature him are also included.
The Levis Fine Arts Gallery holds three of the paintings shown in the Studio Museum in Harlem exhibition. Click here to view them.
Where to Find Beauford’s Art: Levis Fine Art Gallery
Today I am excited to announce that significant progress has been made toward the settlement of the Beauford Delaney estate! This has been a long time in coming, as 2012 marks the 33rd anniversary of Beauford's passing. It means that many of his "long, lost" paintings will finally be made available to the public for viewing and for sale.
Three such paintings can be found at Levis Fine Art Gallery in Ossining, New York:
Waning Light: Abstraction
(1963) Oil on canvas
Abstraction in Red
(1963) Oil on canvas
Abstraction #12
(1963) Oil on canvas
All three were painted during Beauford's years at the rue Vercingétorix studio and all were exhibited at the Studio Museum of Harlem retrospective mounted in 1978.
Contact Jim Levis at the gallery for pricing:
Levis Fine Art
Ossining, NY 10562 (~45 minutes from Manhattan by car)
Tel: 914-762-4880
Fax: 914-432-8699
Email: jim@levisfineart.com
Web Site: www.levisfineart.com
Three such paintings can be found at Levis Fine Art Gallery in Ossining, New York:
(1963) Oil on canvas
(1963) Oil on canvas
(1963) Oil on canvas
All three were painted during Beauford's years at the rue Vercingétorix studio and all were exhibited at the Studio Museum of Harlem retrospective mounted in 1978.
Contact Jim Levis at the gallery for pricing:
Levis Fine Art
Ossining, NY 10562 (~45 minutes from Manhattan by car)
Tel: 914-762-4880
Fax: 914-432-8699
Email: jim@levisfineart.com
Web Site: www.levisfineart.com
Beauford's "Fontana"
In the posting entitled Burt and Pat Reinfrank Remember Beauford, I mentioned that Burt relayed an anecdote to me about a painting that Beauford created in the style of the slash series of artist Lucio Fontana. Here is an image of the painting:
Untitled
(ca. 1960-61) Gouache on paper
Photo courtesy of Burt and Pat Reinfrank
and here is the story:
Beauford often brought gifts when he was invited to people's homes. He gave the painting shown above to James and Gloria Jones at Christmas in 1960 or 1961. It is inscribed as a gift to "Jimmy and Gloria Jones." (James Jones was one of four independent collectors of Beauford's works in Paris — the others were Ahmed Bioud, Solange du Closel, and the Reinfranks.)
After Jones' death, Gloria Jones gave most of the Jones' collection to Darthea Speyer to sell.
Years later, the gouache shown above was put up for sale on Ebay. Burt saw the black strokes in the painting that mimic the cuts in Lucio Fontana's works and remembered that he and Beauford had discussed Fontana's "slash style" at around the time that the painting is dated. He believes that Beauford created this untitled work soon after that conversation.
The painting did not sell on Ebay and Burt was able to obtain it offline from the person who put the work up for sale.
(ca. 1960-61) Gouache on paper
Photo courtesy of Burt and Pat Reinfrank
and here is the story:
Beauford often brought gifts when he was invited to people's homes. He gave the painting shown above to James and Gloria Jones at Christmas in 1960 or 1961. It is inscribed as a gift to "Jimmy and Gloria Jones." (James Jones was one of four independent collectors of Beauford's works in Paris — the others were Ahmed Bioud, Solange du Closel, and the Reinfranks.)
After Jones' death, Gloria Jones gave most of the Jones' collection to Darthea Speyer to sell.
Years later, the gouache shown above was put up for sale on Ebay. Burt saw the black strokes in the painting that mimic the cuts in Lucio Fontana's works and remembered that he and Beauford had discussed Fontana's "slash style" at around the time that the painting is dated. He believes that Beauford created this untitled work soon after that conversation.
The painting did not sell on Ebay and Burt was able to obtain it offline from the person who put the work up for sale.
More on Beauford's Paris: Ile Saint-Louis
Prompted by last week's posting on Beauford's Paris: Ile Saint-Louis, Beauford's dear friend Burt Reinfrank confirmed that the building that I photographed for the article is indeed the one where James Jones and his family lived on Ile Saint-Louis. Here's a better photo of it:
10, quai d'Orléans
© Discover Paris!
Entrance to 10, quai d'Orléans at 2, rue Budé
© Discover Paris!
Burt and James Jones were on the board of the American Center. Burt commented that Beauford was frequently a guest at the Jones' home for Sunday afternoon pasta. Jones' wife Gloria had the custom of making pasta on Sundays and the couple would have an open house of sorts, inviting numerous people over to enjoy the food and camaraderie.
Burt affirmed Jones' love of Beauford's paintings and told me how Jones arranged to have Life Magazine photograph him in Beauford's rue Vercingétorix studio in an effort to give Beauford some publicity.
Composite of photo from August 4, 1967 Life Magazine article
Photographer: Loomis Dean
Thanks Burt, for contributing yet another anecdote to the Les Amis blog!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Burt and James Jones were on the board of the American Center. Burt commented that Beauford was frequently a guest at the Jones' home for Sunday afternoon pasta. Jones' wife Gloria had the custom of making pasta on Sundays and the couple would have an open house of sorts, inviting numerous people over to enjoy the food and camaraderie.
Burt affirmed Jones' love of Beauford's paintings and told me how Jones arranged to have Life Magazine photograph him in Beauford's rue Vercingétorix studio in an effort to give Beauford some publicity.
Photographer: Loomis Dean
Thanks Burt, for contributing yet another anecdote to the Les Amis blog!
Beauford's Paris: Ile Saint-Louis
© Discover Paris!
American writer James Jones and his family lived in an apartment building on quai'd'Orléans, Ile Saint-Louis from 1958-1975. James Baldwin introduced him to Beauford in Paris in 1958. According to David A. Leeming's biography Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
, the Joneses became so fond of Beauford that they eventually gave him a key to their apartment and invited him over frequently. They also commissioned several paintings from him. Jones supported his application for a Fairfield Foundation grant in 1964 and gave Beauford a tribute at his October 1964 one-man show at the Galerie Lambert (no longer in existence) at number 14 on the island's main thoroughfare, rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile. Five years later, Jones would comment at another of Beauford's shows that he was "the complete artist, not just in the medium of paint but in the medium of life."
© Discover Paris!
Most of the information that I have found about the Jones' abode indicates that it was located at 10, quai d'Orléans. One story published by the James Jones Literary Society indicates that the Joneses lived on the second floor. As I walked along the quay yesterday, I decided to look for the building and take a photo of the place where Beauford spent so much time over the years. Curiously, I found no edifice that bears the number 10 on its façade.
Because of a description in Frommer's Paris from $95 a Day, which indicates that the Joneses lived on the corner of rue Budé and quai d'Orléans, I must assume that the "round cornered" building pictured below is indeed the place. (12, quai d'Orléans is plainly indicated on the façade of the building on the opposite corner of the intersection.)
© Discover Paris!
The corner windows in this building overlook the Seine, where the Joneses and their visitors - including Beauford - enjoyed a view of pont Saint-Louis and the flying buttresses at the rear of Notre Dame Cathedral.
33rd Anniversary of Beauford's Passing
Monday, March 26th will be the 33rd anniversary of Beauford's death.
The photo below graces the stone that Les Amis de Beauford Delaney had installed at Beauford's final resting place in Thiais Cemetery in 2010.
Portrait of Beauford Delaney
(ca. 1950)
Possibly by Gjon Mili
Beauford was "all about art." I'd like to celebrate this anniversary date by sharing with you some of my favorite works by this magnificent artist and humble human spirit.
Untitled (Abstract Composition)
(1961) Oil monotype on heavy wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
Woman in White
(1964-65) Oil on canvas
Photo from Bill Hodges Gallery Web site
Still Life with Pears
(1946) Oil on canvas
Image from the Artsmia.org Website
Portrait of a Man in Green
Beauford Delaney
Oil (undated)
Photo from catalog of Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective
Studio Museum in Harlem
The photo below graces the stone that Les Amis de Beauford Delaney had installed at Beauford's final resting place in Thiais Cemetery in 2010.
(ca. 1950)
Possibly by Gjon Mili
Beauford was "all about art." I'd like to celebrate this anniversary date by sharing with you some of my favorite works by this magnificent artist and humble human spirit.
(1961) Oil monotype on heavy wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
(1964-65) Oil on canvas
Photo from Bill Hodges Gallery Web site
(1946) Oil on canvas
Image from the Artsmia.org Website
Beauford Delaney
Oil (undated)
Photo from catalog of Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective
Studio Museum in Harlem
Composition 16
(1954-56) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney; Private Collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney; Private Collection
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York , NY
Beauford Delaney
Self-portrait
Oil on canvas (1944)
Art Institute of Chicago