Presenting Beauford at Paris Lit Up
************
© Discover Paris!
Several months ago, co-host and editor Emily Ruck Keene extended an invitation to me to be a featured speaker for PLU's Open Mic night. She wanted me to share my knowledge of black history, culture and contemporary life in Paris with PLU's audience and invited to select any topic that suited my fancy. Because of the tremendous reception that my presentation received at the Links National Assembly in Las Vegas, I thought it only natural to talk about Beauford and the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition.
We settled on July 14 (Bastille Day) as the date for my presentation.
The audience was delightfully eclectic that evening! Among those present were a software engineer, an art historian, and a "poet for hire."
I took the stage after watching several masterful recitations of poetry and prose, including a poem about Ferguson written by WIF intern and National Student Poet 2013-2014, Sojourner Ahébée. (Ahébée took a guided tour of Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color in February 2016 and requested to be considered for an internship as a result of what she saw and felt during that visit.)
© Discover Paris!
Part 1 of my talk focused on the story behind the founding of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney. The audience was captivated by the story of how I came to discover Beauford's gravesite and the work that Les Amis did to place a tombstone there. I explained how the non-profit's mission to organize educational and commemorative events in Beauford's honor and call the attention of the press to his artistic accomplishments led to the organization of the exhibition. I also spoke about study abroad and STEAM, both of which were important components of the exhibition.
© Discover Paris!
Part 2 of my talk focused on the Augmented Reality project. Because of PLU's focus on literary and performing arts, I decided to devote a good part of this section to the spoken word videos that rapper and spoken word artist Mike Ladd contributed to the University of Arizona Augmented Reality project.
© Discover Paris!
While I spoke, Keene downloaded the app to test it on several images in the exhibition catalog. She excitedly reported that she was able to access them all!
Following my presentation, more attendees took the stage to recite their poetry. Then, we left the cabaret and spilled into the street to watch the holiday fireworks display.
© Discover Paris!
We ended the evening at around midnight. Both the poetry recitals and the fireworks were truly inspiring!
Presenting Beauford at the Links National Assembly
On Friday, July 1, I had the honor and pleasure of presenting Beauford and the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition at the Links National Assembly in Las Vegas.
During the fundraising campaign that took place prior to the exhibition, Rita Henderson, National Chairperson for the Arts facet of The Links Incorporated, organized the Links' contribution to the show. The organization's logo appears in the catalog in the section devoted to sponsors.
At that time, Chairperson Henderson approached me about speaking at a program workshop for the Links National Assembly. She said that the Delaney exhibition would be the perfect topic for the session that she was organizing with two other persons who were responsible for the program: Susan Coleman-Parks, Co-Director of the Arts facet, and Joan Prince, National Chair of the International Trends and Services facet. The name of the workshop would be "Make the Connection: International Trends and the Arts as a Global Force for Peace, Friendship, and Healing."
An excerpt from the description for the workshop read as follows:
Make the Connection workshop sign
© Wells International Foundation
Susan Coleman-Parks, Joan Prince, and Rita Henderson
© Wells International Foundation
During the workshop, I spoke for about 10 minutes, talking about Beauford and citing the founding of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney as the catalyst for organizing the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition as the inaugural event for the Wells International Foundation.
Monique at the podium
© Wells International Foundation
I presented the highlights of the educational programming for the exhibition: the University of Arizona Augmented Reality project, the Global Educator Program, and the Blippar app, and invited attendees to come to my table after my talk to see the app in action.
Signs on table
© Wells International Foundation
The reception was overwhelmingly positive! A steady stream of attendees came over to the table to purchase catalogs and see the app in action. And six people gave me their names and contact information so we can communicate about exploring the possibility of bringing the exhibition to a museum in their city!
Monique and Link Stalfana Bello
© Wells International Foundation
I've already begun following up with these ladies and will share any positive news in future blog posts.
During the fundraising campaign that took place prior to the exhibition, Rita Henderson, National Chairperson for the Arts facet of The Links Incorporated, organized the Links' contribution to the show. The organization's logo appears in the catalog in the section devoted to sponsors.
At that time, Chairperson Henderson approached me about speaking at a program workshop for the Links National Assembly. She said that the Delaney exhibition would be the perfect topic for the session that she was organizing with two other persons who were responsible for the program: Susan Coleman-Parks, Co-Director of the Arts facet, and Joan Prince, National Chair of the International Trends and Services facet. The name of the workshop would be "Make the Connection: International Trends and the Arts as a Global Force for Peace, Friendship, and Healing."
An excerpt from the description for the workshop read as follows:
Experience how we leveraged our Linking with Jamaica initiative through a spotlight on chapter programming in Jamaican communities. Engage with the founder and CEO of a nonprofit, international arts foundation and learn how The Links, Incorporated joined forces to preserve the legacy of the late Beauford Delaney, a Paris expatriate who moved there in 1953 and died there in 1979.500 persons registered to attend.
© Wells International Foundation
© Wells International Foundation
During the workshop, I spoke for about 10 minutes, talking about Beauford and citing the founding of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney as the catalyst for organizing the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition as the inaugural event for the Wells International Foundation.
© Wells International Foundation
I presented the highlights of the educational programming for the exhibition: the University of Arizona Augmented Reality project, the Global Educator Program, and the Blippar app, and invited attendees to come to my table after my talk to see the app in action.
© Wells International Foundation
The reception was overwhelmingly positive! A steady stream of attendees came over to the table to purchase catalogs and see the app in action. And six people gave me their names and contact information so we can communicate about exploring the possibility of bringing the exhibition to a museum in their city!
© Wells International Foundation
I've already begun following up with these ladies and will share any positive news in future blog posts.
Knoxville Museum of Art acquires two Beauford Delaney portraits
I am pleased to share the following release from the Knoxville Museum of Art:
The Knoxville Museum of Art announced its purchase two Beauford Delaney portraits from the artist’s estate: Portrait of Delia Delaney (1933), and Dante Pavone as Christ (1948). The purchase was made possible by financial assistance from the KMA’s Collectors Circle, a special membership group that helps support the development of the museum’s collection.
Portrait of Delia Delaney (1933) presents a bold and vibrant likeness of the artist’s mother, Delia (1865-1958), the stern matriarch of the family. The portrait was likely done during Beauford’s return trip to Knoxville in 1933. The portrait must have been an important keepsake, as the artist never sold it and used it as the basis for a larger oil portrait some 30 years later.
While Delaney describes her features with great attention to detail and conveys her strength, he transforms the background into an abstract study of luminous color.
The Knoxville Museum of Art announced its purchase two Beauford Delaney portraits from the artist’s estate: Portrait of Delia Delaney (1933), and Dante Pavone as Christ (1948). The purchase was made possible by financial assistance from the KMA’s Collectors Circle, a special membership group that helps support the development of the museum’s collection.
Portrait of Delia Delaney (1933) presents a bold and vibrant likeness of the artist’s mother, Delia (1865-1958), the stern matriarch of the family. The portrait was likely done during Beauford’s return trip to Knoxville in 1933. The portrait must have been an important keepsake, as the artist never sold it and used it as the basis for a larger oil portrait some 30 years later.
While Delaney describes her features with great attention to detail and conveys her strength, he transforms the background into an abstract study of luminous color.
(1933) Pastel on paper
19 x 20 inches
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Knoxville Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the KMA Collectors Circle with additional gifts from Barbara Apking, June and Rob Heller, Donna Kerr, Alexandra Rosen and Donald Cooney, Ted Smith and David Butler, Mimi and Milton Turner, John Cotham, Jan and Pete Crawford, Cathy and Mark Hill, Florence and Russell Johnston, John Z. C. Thomas, Donna and Terry Wertz, Jayne and Myron Ely, Sarah Stowers, Robin and Joe Ben Turner, and Jacqueline Wilson
Dante Pavone as Christ (1948) depicts one of Beauford’s closest friends during the period in which the artist was living at 181 Greene Street in New York (1936-1953). Pavone (1910-1997) was a singer and later a voice coach for performers including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Aretha Franklin, and Steven Tyler.
For years, Delaney was obsessed with depicting Pavone, and produced many portraits of him — several of which appear to represent the spirit of his sitter rather than his physical likeness. This portrait is especially unusual as the artist presents his subject as Christ, with his left hand raised in a gesture of blessing, and his head encircled by a halo of brilliant white light.
(1948) Pastel on paper
23 ¼ x 19 ¾ inches
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Knoxville Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the KMA Collectors Circle with additional gifts from Barbara Apking, June and Rob Heller, Donna Kerr, Alexandra Rosen and Donald Cooney, Ted Smith and David Butler, Mimi and Milton Turner, John Cotham, Jan and Pete Crawford, Cathy and Mark Hill, Florence and Russell Johnston, John Z. C. Thomas, Donna and Terry Wertz, Jayne and Myron Ely, Sarah Stowers, Robin and Joe Ben Turner, and Jacqueline Wilson
As Delaney’s friend author Henry Miller observed in The Amazing and Invariable Beauford Delaney (1945),
Supposing that for the next five years he [Delaney] were to do nothing but Dante...Dante was a wondrous landscape for Beauford; he had cosmic proportions, and his skull though shorn of locks was full of mystery. A man studying his friend day in and day out for five years ought to arrive at some remarkable conclusions. With time Dante could become for Beauford what Oedipus became for Freud.
Beauford at MRG - It's Not Your Nature
The Michael Rosenfeld Gallery's summer exhibition entitled It's Not Your Nature features 25 artists. Two magnificent works by Beauford are included in the show.
Untitled (Trees) is from Beauford's New York period. Dated circa 1945, it comes from a time when Beauford created many cityscapes at his Greene Street studio.
Untitled (Trees)
(c. 1945) Oil on canvas
29 1/8" x 23 1/8", signed
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Untitled (Abstraction #7), dated 1964, is from Beauford's Paris years. He was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio when he painted this work.
Untitled (Abstraction #7)
(1964) Oil on canvas
51 1/4" x 38 1/4", signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
1964 was the year that Beauford had a one-man show at the Galerie Lambert. Biographer David A. Leeming says that he worked "both on portraits and abstractions dominated by his favorite yellow." Leeming also says that a yellow abstraction displayed during a group show at the Galerie Internationale d'Art Contemporaine during the spring of the year was praised as "an emanation of the sun in which one finds all seasons but winter, and light is filtered through the painter's tone and touch."
Untitled (Abstraction #7) may well be one of the paintings described above.
It's Not Your Nature runs through August 5 2016.
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC
100 Eleventh Avenue @ 19th
New York, NY 10011
(212) 247-0082
Untitled (Trees) is from Beauford's New York period. Dated circa 1945, it comes from a time when Beauford created many cityscapes at his Greene Street studio.
(c. 1945) Oil on canvas
29 1/8" x 23 1/8", signed
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Untitled (Abstraction #7), dated 1964, is from Beauford's Paris years. He was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio when he painted this work.
(1964) Oil on canvas
51 1/4" x 38 1/4", signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
1964 was the year that Beauford had a one-man show at the Galerie Lambert. Biographer David A. Leeming says that he worked "both on portraits and abstractions dominated by his favorite yellow." Leeming also says that a yellow abstraction displayed during a group show at the Galerie Internationale d'Art Contemporaine during the spring of the year was praised as "an emanation of the sun in which one finds all seasons but winter, and light is filtered through the painter's tone and touch."
Untitled (Abstraction #7) may well be one of the paintings described above.
It's Not Your Nature runs through August 5 2016.
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC
100 Eleventh Avenue @ 19th
New York, NY 10011
(212) 247-0082
Beauford's "The Burning Bush" in "Modern Heroics" Exhibition at the Newark Museum
The Newark Museum is currently holding a six-month exhibition of African-American expressionist art called Modern Heroics: 75 Years of African-American Expressionism at the Newark Museum. It opens today.
The museum's Web page describes the show as featuring "34 paintings and sculptural works with an emphasis on storytelling and expressive imagery" and says that it "brings together rarely exhibited works by leading historical and contemporary African-American artists, placing in dialogue several generations and a range of self-taught and formally trained approaches."
In an article that I published several years ago, I reported that the Newark Museum holds two Beauford Delaney works and that only one was on display. This work, called The Burning Bush, is part of the Modern Heroics exhibition. Dated 1941, the year that Beauford revealed himself publicly as a modernist (according to biographer David A. Leeming), it is the earliest work included in the exhibition.
The Burning Bush
(1941) Oil on paperboard
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The introduction for the exhibition catalog, written by Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Curator of American Art, describes The Burning Bush as follows:
Regarding Beauford and his relationship with the museum, Bloom says:
During the Modern Heroics exhibition, The Burning Bush will be displayed in the featured exhibition space on the first floor of the museum.
The museum's Web page describes the show as featuring "34 paintings and sculptural works with an emphasis on storytelling and expressive imagery" and says that it "brings together rarely exhibited works by leading historical and contemporary African-American artists, placing in dialogue several generations and a range of self-taught and formally trained approaches."
In an article that I published several years ago, I reported that the Newark Museum holds two Beauford Delaney works and that only one was on display. This work, called The Burning Bush, is part of the Modern Heroics exhibition. Dated 1941, the year that Beauford revealed himself publicly as a modernist (according to biographer David A. Leeming), it is the earliest work included in the exhibition.
(1941) Oil on paperboard
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The introduction for the exhibition catalog, written by Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Curator of American Art, describes The Burning Bush as follows:
A compact, thickly painted composition of an abstract landscape, The Burning Bush reinterprets the Old Testament story in which God appeared to Moses as a burning bush: divinity and nature seem to converge in this forceful scene.
Regarding Beauford and his relationship with the museum, Bloom says:
Delaney happened to play an important role in building Newark’s permanent collection of African-American art. In 1943 he made a gift to the Museum of a work on paper made that year, titled Portrait of a Man. This pastel drawing became the second work by an African-American artist to enter Newark’s permanent collection.
Portrait of a Man
(1943) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
A series of handwritten and typed letters between Delaney and Beatrice Windsor (director of the Newark Museum from 1929 to 1947) reveals a simple but significant exchange that was catalyzing for the growth of the collection. Ms. Windsor, who knew Delaney personally, made a gift to him of several frames, and as a gesture of thanks Delaney made a gift to the Museum of his work.
In the correspondence between Delaney and Windsor both expressed sincere appreciation for the other’s gift, and the following year Newark organized its first original show dedicated to African-American art—an exhibition to which Delaney, Norman Lewis, Romare Bearden and ten other artists lent their work directly.
Nearly half of the artists included in that 1944 show are now represented in Newark’s permanent collection, a living testament to the Museum’s commitment to the art of today.
During the Modern Heroics exhibition, The Burning Bush will be displayed in the featured exhibition space on the first floor of the museum.
Adeline Goldminc-Tronzo Remembers Beauford
Adeline Goldminc-Tronzo is a French artist who moved to New York City in the mid 1970s. She studied at the Art Students League with American Artists: Marshall Glasier, Joseph Hirsch, Robert Beverly Hale, and Norman Lewis. She holds a BFA in Art and Philosophy.
Adeline wrote to me after having discovered the Les Amis blog. She wanted to share a photo of Beauford that was taken before his death at Sainte-Anne's Hospital in Paris. She also shared the story of how she came to know Beauford and Beauford's brother, Joseph, and graciously granted her permission for me to publish them here.
Beauford at Sainte-Anne's Hospital - 1978
Image courtesy of Adeline Goldminc-Tronzo
The year was 1968. As a kid - and I mean a kid (I was 15 years old) - I would escape my family and go to Montparnasse to hang out with artists.
One of these artists was Anton Prinner (a Hungarian artist) and sometimes Beauford would come to the Coupole and hang out at Prinner's table. And I had the privilege to be there a few times. Beauford did not speak French and I was a kid and hardly spoke English.
He was a quiet man - a soulful, dreamy presence.
And the striking memory I have is of Beauford's most beautiful hands. They really were beautiful!
Years later, as a very young adult, I moved to NY. While there, I befriended Jo (Joseph) Delaney. A beautiful soul as well.
Jo mentioned a brother once or twice but never by name and where he lived ...
Then one day, he mentioned Beauford and it was amazing! How I could meet these two brothers in two different countries, eight years apart?
Serendipity.
Jo was very worried about Beauford. He told me he was at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris and that the French government had taken all his work and Jo could not go there because JO was broke and didn't understand the legalese, the language etc ....
And apparently James Baldwin had moved to the south and could no longer be of much help for Beauford at that point.
It was a heartbreaking story.
I was to visit my parents in Paris and there Beauford was - having an exhibit at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Jo asked me to go to the hospital and to try and help Beauford.
So I went to Paris and visited with Beauford at Sainte Anne's, giving him the catalog for the exhibition at the Studio Museum. But Beauford was in another place. I mean he was there but he could no longer communicate. He kept looking at his hands...those beautiful hands!
I returned to visit him a couple more times...brought him socks and pajamas and talked, talked about his brother, about his exhibit, about painting...
I do not know if Beauford understood. He never talked. He was in another world.
I returned to NY and saw Jo until I moved to California. When I returned from California a couple of years later, Jo was no longer in his Union Square place.
And I never saw Jo again.
Adeline wrote to me after having discovered the Les Amis blog. She wanted to share a photo of Beauford that was taken before his death at Sainte-Anne's Hospital in Paris. She also shared the story of how she came to know Beauford and Beauford's brother, Joseph, and graciously granted her permission for me to publish them here.
Image courtesy of Adeline Goldminc-Tronzo
The year was 1968. As a kid - and I mean a kid (I was 15 years old) - I would escape my family and go to Montparnasse to hang out with artists.
One of these artists was Anton Prinner (a Hungarian artist) and sometimes Beauford would come to the Coupole and hang out at Prinner's table. And I had the privilege to be there a few times. Beauford did not speak French and I was a kid and hardly spoke English.
He was a quiet man - a soulful, dreamy presence.
And the striking memory I have is of Beauford's most beautiful hands. They really were beautiful!
Years later, as a very young adult, I moved to NY. While there, I befriended Jo (Joseph) Delaney. A beautiful soul as well.
Jo mentioned a brother once or twice but never by name and where he lived ...
Then one day, he mentioned Beauford and it was amazing! How I could meet these two brothers in two different countries, eight years apart?
Serendipity.
Jo was very worried about Beauford. He told me he was at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris and that the French government had taken all his work and Jo could not go there because JO was broke and didn't understand the legalese, the language etc ....
And apparently James Baldwin had moved to the south and could no longer be of much help for Beauford at that point.
It was a heartbreaking story.
I was to visit my parents in Paris and there Beauford was - having an exhibit at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Jo asked me to go to the hospital and to try and help Beauford.
So I went to Paris and visited with Beauford at Sainte Anne's, giving him the catalog for the exhibition at the Studio Museum. But Beauford was in another place. I mean he was there but he could no longer communicate. He kept looking at his hands...those beautiful hands!
I returned to visit him a couple more times...brought him socks and pajamas and talked, talked about his brother, about his exhibit, about painting...
I do not know if Beauford understood. He never talked. He was in another world.
I returned to NY and saw Jo until I moved to California. When I returned from California a couple of years later, Jo was no longer in his Union Square place.
And I never saw Jo again.
Beauford at the International James Baldwin Conference in Paris
In the Entrée to Black Paris blog from Thursday, June 2, I reported on the International James Baldwin conference that was hosted by the American University of Paris from May 26-28, 2016.
You might well imagine that Beauford's relationship with James Baldwin was discussed during the conference. At least five presenters discussed it in depth or focused exclusively on it:
Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture spoke about the relationship between Baldwin and Beauford and the inclusion of the Smithsonian's portrait of James Baldwin by Beauford in their Making the Way gallery.
James Baldwin
(1963) Pastel on Paper
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
James Smalls of the University of Maryland presented "James Baldwin and Beauford Delaney; The Color of Light" and showed images of several of Beauford's portraits of Baldwin.
Portrait of James Baldwin
(1945) Oil on canvas
Philadelphia Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This particular portrait appeared in an unexpected form at the opening plenary session of the conference!
Portrait of James Baldwin on T-shirt
© Discover Paris!
In the panel discussion called "'The Light Was Always Changing': James Baldwin (Re)Sighted," Tyler Schmidt of Lehman College, CUNY in the Bronx spoke about Beauford's Rosa Parks series and his Street Sweeper in the context of Beauford's concern with the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.
Rosa Parks
(1967) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Street Sweeper (Le Balayeur)
(1968) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
During the same panel, in a talk entitled "James Baldwin, Beauford Delaney, and Light," freelance curator/writer/art historian Lizzetta LeFalle Collins spoke of why and how she believes that Baldwin and Beauford shared a creative process for writing and painting, respectively.
She read the passage from Baldwin's essay about the evolution of Beauford's work during the Clamart years and showed an image of one of Beauford's abstracts from that period, which she compared to a photo of a private garden behind a house a few doors down from Beauford and Baldwin’s Clamart home.
Private garden on rue Paul Vaillant Couturier
© Les Amis de Beauford Delaney
I presented "Beauford and Baldwin: Paris Stomping Grounds," which was a slide show of many of the favorite hangouts and places where Beauford and Baldwin lived in Paris - and beyond. I also spoke of the recent Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition.
Monique shows the Beauford Delaney catalog
© Discover Paris!
It was gratifying to hear several people declare how much they appreciate this blog as a rich source of information about Beauford!
You might well imagine that Beauford's relationship with James Baldwin was discussed during the conference. At least five presenters discussed it in depth or focused exclusively on it:
Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture spoke about the relationship between Baldwin and Beauford and the inclusion of the Smithsonian's portrait of James Baldwin by Beauford in their Making the Way gallery.
(1963) Pastel on Paper
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
James Smalls of the University of Maryland presented "James Baldwin and Beauford Delaney; The Color of Light" and showed images of several of Beauford's portraits of Baldwin.
(1945) Oil on canvas
Philadelphia Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This particular portrait appeared in an unexpected form at the opening plenary session of the conference!
© Discover Paris!
In the panel discussion called "'The Light Was Always Changing': James Baldwin (Re)Sighted," Tyler Schmidt of Lehman College, CUNY in the Bronx spoke about Beauford's Rosa Parks series and his Street Sweeper in the context of Beauford's concern with the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.
(1967) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1968) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
During the same panel, in a talk entitled "James Baldwin, Beauford Delaney, and Light," freelance curator/writer/art historian Lizzetta LeFalle Collins spoke of why and how she believes that Baldwin and Beauford shared a creative process for writing and painting, respectively.
She read the passage from Baldwin's essay about the evolution of Beauford's work during the Clamart years and showed an image of one of Beauford's abstracts from that period, which she compared to a photo of a private garden behind a house a few doors down from Beauford and Baldwin’s Clamart home.
© Les Amis de Beauford Delaney
I presented "Beauford and Baldwin: Paris Stomping Grounds," which was a slide show of many of the favorite hangouts and places where Beauford and Baldwin lived in Paris - and beyond. I also spoke of the recent Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition.
© Discover Paris!
It was gratifying to hear several people declare how much they appreciate this blog as a rich source of information about Beauford!
Cause to Celebrate: Kickstarter Campaign for Exhibition Video a Success!
On the heels of the success of Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color, we intend to take the exhibition to museums in the U.S. and Europe to further extend its remarkable impact. To encourage museums to host it, we're working with the Wells International Foundation (WIF) to create a video documentary that presents Beauford, the works displayed, and the accompanying educational and cultural programming. We'll use the hours of video footage and hundreds of photographs from the eight events that we hosted during the exhibition to create the documentary.
On April 25, 2016, WIF launched a 30-day, all-or-nothing Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise money to cover the costs for the documentary. It ended on Tuesday, May 24 at 3 PM Eastern time.
Here are the final results:
77 backers
$6,360 pledged of the original $5,000 goal (127% funded)
$1,360 pledged of the stretch goal of $1,250 (108% funded)
In other words, the campaign was a phenomenal success!
Kickstarter is expected to make the funds available within 14 days of the end of the campaign, but we've already begun work on the post-production phase of the documentary. If you'd like to keep abreast of developments, click HERE.
Beauford's Paris: Beauford's Hôtel Odessa Plaque Has Company
The other day, I took a long-time friend to see the Beauford Delaney plaques in Montparnasse before setting off to a neighborhood restaurant for lunch. Our first stop was the Hôtel Odessa. I looked up to point out the plaque and was more than surprised to find that a second plaque has been installed on the hotel's façade!
Delaney and Foujita plaques - Hôtel Odessa
Image courtesy of Félix Vega
This plaque commemorates Japanese-French artist Léonard Tsuguhara Foujita, who lived at the Hôtel Odessa in 1913. (Beauford would briefly reside there 40 years later.) Foujita was part of the Ecole de Paris, the flood of artists who settled in Montparnasse in the early 20th century. He counted Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and many other famous artists among his friends and was one of the few who became financially successful in his lifetime.
Hôtel Odessa is modestly priced, pleasant hotel that has completely renovated its rooms and recently refurbished its façade. It is particularly well suited for student groups. One has to wonder if the hotel will raise its rates now that it is beginning to tout its contribution to the history of the quarter!
************
We're offering a special private visit to see the two Beauford Delaney commemorative plaques in Montparnasse, followed by a sit-down lunch in the neighborhood, for up to three persons pledging $1000 or more to the Kickstarter campaign for the Beauford Delaney exhibition video project. I'll personally deliver this tour and lunch will be on me!
You have to be living in Paris or visiting within a year to take advantage of this reward.
Click on the link below to learn about the campaign, our pledge levels, and all the rewards that we've made available:
Beauford Delaney: Sharing a Master's Art with the World!
Image courtesy of Félix Vega
This plaque commemorates Japanese-French artist Léonard Tsuguhara Foujita, who lived at the Hôtel Odessa in 1913. (Beauford would briefly reside there 40 years later.) Foujita was part of the Ecole de Paris, the flood of artists who settled in Montparnasse in the early 20th century. He counted Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and many other famous artists among his friends and was one of the few who became financially successful in his lifetime.
Hôtel Odessa is modestly priced, pleasant hotel that has completely renovated its rooms and recently refurbished its façade. It is particularly well suited for student groups. One has to wonder if the hotel will raise its rates now that it is beginning to tout its contribution to the history of the quarter!
We're offering a special private visit to see the two Beauford Delaney commemorative plaques in Montparnasse, followed by a sit-down lunch in the neighborhood, for up to three persons pledging $1000 or more to the Kickstarter campaign for the Beauford Delaney exhibition video project. I'll personally deliver this tour and lunch will be on me!
You have to be living in Paris or visiting within a year to take advantage of this reward.
Click on the link below to learn about the campaign, our pledge levels, and all the rewards that we've made available:
Beauford Delaney: Sharing a Master's Art with the World!
Human Interest: Beauford's Self-portrait Featured at the Whitney Museum
The Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection at the Whitney Museum of American Art features over 200 works that "show changing approaches to portraiture from the early 1900s until today."
Among those works is one of Beauford's most exquisite self-portraits.
Auto-portrait
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is on view in the Robert W. Wilson Galleries on the 7th floor, in a section called "Cracked Mirror" that focuses on portraits created by American artists in the years surrounding World War II. It is featured on a wall all its own!
This self-portrait is one of five Beauford Delaney paintings and works on paper in the Whitney's collection. None of the other works are being displayed at present.
Beauford has a rich history with the Whitney, beginning in 1930 when it was named the Whitney Museum Studio Galleries. Read about it HERE.
Human Interest will be shown from Apr 27, 2016 – Feb 12, 2017. However, several works will be rotated off display after July 2016, due to their fragility. No decision has yet been made as to whether Beauford's self-portrait will be one of them.
For more information about the exhibition, click HERE.
************
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Among those works is one of Beauford's most exquisite self-portraits.
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is on view in the Robert W. Wilson Galleries on the 7th floor, in a section called "Cracked Mirror" that focuses on portraits created by American artists in the years surrounding World War II. It is featured on a wall all its own!
This self-portrait is one of five Beauford Delaney paintings and works on paper in the Whitney's collection. None of the other works are being displayed at present.
Beauford has a rich history with the Whitney, beginning in 1930 when it was named the Whitney Museum Studio Galleries. Read about it HERE.
Human Interest will be shown from Apr 27, 2016 – Feb 12, 2017. However, several works will be rotated off display after July 2016, due to their fragility. No decision has yet been made as to whether Beauford's self-portrait will be one of them.
For more information about the exhibition, click HERE.
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Melancholy, Sorrow, and Joy - Part 2
Last week, I shared comments by two individuals on the range of emotions expressed in Beauford's art:
I then presented images from the recent Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition that I believe many people would interpret as joyous.
Today, I'm presenting images of works from the exhibition that could be interpreted as representing melancholy or sorrow.
Untitled
(1961) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The palette that Beauford chose for the muddy-colored, untitled painting above is quite atypical of his work. Dark greens with numerous touches of grays, browns, and black mostly obscure a yellow background with a few orange-red highlights. For me, this conjures feelings of turbulent melancholy.
Untitled
(1961) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford used bold and vibrant colors for the mixed media work shown above. For me, it evokes a storm, perhaps even a storm at sea. Cobalt to midnight blue bands at the top, middle, and bottom of the painting could represent sadness, and the acid yellow-green zigzags bring to mind frayed nerves superimposed on persistent melancholy.
Beauford created both of these works in 1961. We know that this was a particularly stressful year for him - as early as March, he wrote to his brother, Joseph, to say that
As for the latter part of the year, he spent much of it in hospitals in Greece and in Paris due to a mental breakdown, including two suicide attempts, as well as severe liver and kidney problems.
Self-portrait
(undated) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
One of the most intriguing works from the exhibition is Beauford's undated self-portrait. More than one person visiting the exhibition commented that his head appears to emerge from a planter, an urn, or a cooking pot. I find his expression to be haunted, but others commented that his eyes appear to be wide with amazement or casting a piercing glance.
And I wonder why Beauford chose green as the predominant color for his skin tone. I thought the color might reflect physical illness or mental unease, but an artist friend of Beauford found it to be beautiful and not at all disturbing.
I welcome your comments on these works and those from Part 1 of this post. What emotions do you see in them? What emotions do they stir in you?
************
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
We might talk about the way a canvas painted by Beauford could imperceptibly take you through all the colors of the prism and express all the possible nuances from deep sorrow to exhilarating joy, from the indelible sadness of the flowery wallpaper of a cheap hotel room to a whirlwind of bright and vivid colors, the large solar festival promised to the blessed of all religions and faiths.
- Marc Albert-Levin, art critic
...I am drawn to Beauford's colors--something seems so melancholy, yet on the verge of joy.
- Cary Alan Johnson, writer and human rights consultant
I then presented images from the recent Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition that I believe many people would interpret as joyous.
Today, I'm presenting images of works from the exhibition that could be interpreted as representing melancholy or sorrow.
(1961) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The palette that Beauford chose for the muddy-colored, untitled painting above is quite atypical of his work. Dark greens with numerous touches of grays, browns, and black mostly obscure a yellow background with a few orange-red highlights. For me, this conjures feelings of turbulent melancholy.
(1961) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford used bold and vibrant colors for the mixed media work shown above. For me, it evokes a storm, perhaps even a storm at sea. Cobalt to midnight blue bands at the top, middle, and bottom of the painting could represent sadness, and the acid yellow-green zigzags bring to mind frayed nerves superimposed on persistent melancholy.
Beauford created both of these works in 1961. We know that this was a particularly stressful year for him - as early as March, he wrote to his brother, Joseph, to say that
However sad at times we might be we have come through great trials and tribulations but must never lose sight of our sainted parents and God's great gifts...
As for the latter part of the year, he spent much of it in hospitals in Greece and in Paris due to a mental breakdown, including two suicide attempts, as well as severe liver and kidney problems.
(undated) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
One of the most intriguing works from the exhibition is Beauford's undated self-portrait. More than one person visiting the exhibition commented that his head appears to emerge from a planter, an urn, or a cooking pot. I find his expression to be haunted, but others commented that his eyes appear to be wide with amazement or casting a piercing glance.
And I wonder why Beauford chose green as the predominant color for his skin tone. I thought the color might reflect physical illness or mental unease, but an artist friend of Beauford found it to be beautiful and not at all disturbing.
I welcome your comments on these works and those from Part 1 of this post. What emotions do you see in them? What emotions do they stir in you?
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Melancholy, Sorrow, and Joy - Part 1
As I negotiate the aftermath of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition, I'm stunned to realize that six weeks have already passed since the closure of the show!
Catalog cover for Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
Thanks to the exhibition, I've had the opportunity to meet lots of people and to introduce Beauford's work to many who were previously unaware of him and his artistic genius.
And I've had the opportunity to listen to and read thoughts and scholarly critiques of the works displayed in the exhibit.
In today's post, I'm highlighting two remarks that are remarkably similar in sentiment, yet made by individuals who have never met each other. I then illustrate them with images of Beauford's work.
The first comes from Marc Albert-Levin, the French art critic who contributed the article entitled Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: A Critical Review of Beauford's Portraiture.
In his essay entitled “L’anachronique du flâneur N° 12,” ("Anachronic Chronicle, N° 12"), Albert-Levin describes his interactions with painter Herbert Gentry, who was a friend of Beauford. He says that when he and Gentry got together, they would often speak of Beauford:
The second comes from Cary Alan Johnson, writer and human rights consultant:
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color does indeed take you through all colors of the prism. But what any observer experience in terms of emotion as described in the two quotes above depends upon what that observer brings to his or her interaction with each individual work.
I daresay that many would consider the vibrant colors of the works below to represent the emotion of joy.
Untitled
(1970) Mixed media on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Les Embruns
(1963) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled
(1960) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
But finding melancholy and sadness in the paintings from this exhibition could be far more subjective. We'll explore this in next week's post.
************
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Thanks to the exhibition, I've had the opportunity to meet lots of people and to introduce Beauford's work to many who were previously unaware of him and his artistic genius.
And I've had the opportunity to listen to and read thoughts and scholarly critiques of the works displayed in the exhibit.
In today's post, I'm highlighting two remarks that are remarkably similar in sentiment, yet made by individuals who have never met each other. I then illustrate them with images of Beauford's work.
The first comes from Marc Albert-Levin, the French art critic who contributed the article entitled Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: A Critical Review of Beauford's Portraiture.
In his essay entitled “L’anachronique du flâneur N° 12,” ("Anachronic Chronicle, N° 12"), Albert-Levin describes his interactions with painter Herbert Gentry, who was a friend of Beauford. He says that when he and Gentry got together, they would often speak of Beauford:
We might talk about the way a canvas painted by Beauford could imperceptibly take you through all the colors of the prism and express all the possible nuances from deep sorrow to exhilarating joy, from the indelible sadness of the flowery wallpaper of a cheap hotel room to a whirlwind of bright and vivid colors, the large solar festival promised to the blessed of all religions and faiths.
The second comes from Cary Alan Johnson, writer and human rights consultant:
I had a chance to look at the catalog. I am drawn to Beauford's colors--something seems so melancholy, yet on the verge of joy.
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color does indeed take you through all colors of the prism. But what any observer experience in terms of emotion as described in the two quotes above depends upon what that observer brings to his or her interaction with each individual work.
I daresay that many would consider the vibrant colors of the works below to represent the emotion of joy.
(1970) Mixed media on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1963) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1960) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
But finding melancholy and sadness in the paintings from this exhibition could be far more subjective. We'll explore this in next week's post.
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Beauford at Swann Auction Galleries: April 2016 Sale Results
Swann Auction Galleries held its spring African-American Fine Art on April 7, 2016.
Two of the three Beauford Delaney works offered at auction were sold.
The startlingly vibrant gouache entitled Untitled (Composition in Purple, Blue and Green) (Lot 41) sold for $6,750.
Untitled (Composition in Purple, Blue and Green)
(circa late 1950s) Gouache on Schoeller Parole paper
450x300 mm; 17 3/4x11 3/4 inches
Signed in red gouache, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The gouache entitled Untitled (Abstract in Mustard Yellow and Gray Green, Mallorca) (Lot 42) sold for $6,250.
Untitled Untitled (Abstract in Mustard Yellow and Gray Green, Mallorca)
(1961) Gouache on thin wove paper
495x648 mm; 19 1/2x25 1/2 inches
Signed, dated and inscribed "San Telmo, Mallorca" in ink, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
All sale prices mentioned above include Swann's buyer's premium.*
Lot 16, an untitled waterfront landscape done in oil on linen canvas, remains unsold.
Untitled (Waterfront Landscape)
(1941) Oil on linen canvas
394x493 mm; 15 1/2x19 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in oil, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
*At auction, there are two prices--the hammer price, or the price at which the item sells during the auction, and the price with the buyer's premium. All auction houses have a buyer's premium that the buyer pays to the auction house on top of the hammer price. The buyer’s premium for items purchased directly through Swann is 25%. Swann Auction Galleries now reports the "hammer price" and the price that include the buyer's premium in its online catalog.
************
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Two of the three Beauford Delaney works offered at auction were sold.
The startlingly vibrant gouache entitled Untitled (Composition in Purple, Blue and Green) (Lot 41) sold for $6,750.
(circa late 1950s) Gouache on Schoeller Parole paper
450x300 mm; 17 3/4x11 3/4 inches
Signed in red gouache, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The gouache entitled Untitled (Abstract in Mustard Yellow and Gray Green, Mallorca) (Lot 42) sold for $6,250.
(1961) Gouache on thin wove paper
495x648 mm; 19 1/2x25 1/2 inches
Signed, dated and inscribed "San Telmo, Mallorca" in ink, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
All sale prices mentioned above include Swann's buyer's premium.*
Lot 16, an untitled waterfront landscape done in oil on linen canvas, remains unsold.
(1941) Oil on linen canvas
394x493 mm; 15 1/2x19 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in oil, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
*At auction, there are two prices--the hammer price, or the price at which the item sells during the auction, and the price with the buyer's premium. All auction houses have a buyer's premium that the buyer pays to the auction house on top of the hammer price. The buyer’s premium for items purchased directly through Swann is 25%. Swann Auction Galleries now reports the "hammer price" and the price that include the buyer's premium in its online catalog.
COMING SOON:
Video of Beauford Delaney art exhibition!
Because of the tremendous success of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition held at Columbia Global Centers | Paris (February 4-March 15, 2016), Les Amis and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are creating a video documentary of the show and the associated cultural and educational programs. We plan to use this documentary to encourage U.S. and European museums to host the exhibition.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the production of the video, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: A Critical Review of Beauford’s Portraiture
Marc Albert-Levin is a French art critic, translator, and writer. Author of numerous monographs on contemporary artists, he has collaborated with a number of published reviews over the years. These include Cimaise, Les Lettres françaises, Jazz Hot, Passage d’Encre, and Art Press.
The text below represents Albert-Levin’s English translation of excerpts from his most recent essay, “L’anachronique du flâneur N° 12,” ("Anachronic Chronicle, N° 12"), which is published in French at www.saisonsdeculture.com.
**********
When, at the beginning of a recent visit, Michel Ragon asked me his recurrent question: “What have you done this week?”, it was not easy to answer. Because for me that week had been mainly marked by the exhibition, at the Columbia Global Centers in Montparnasse, of an African-American painter I knew well and greatly admired. His name was Beauford Delaney and I could not think about him without emotion or affection.
Catalog cover: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
Self-portrait
Undated, Oil on canvas
76 x 57 cm; 29.9" x 22.4"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The exhibition held at the Columbia Global Centers in Paris at 4, rue de Chevreuse, 75006 from February 4th to February 26th 2016 (editor’s note: the exhibition was extended through March 15th) presented some forty works of Beauford Delaney: oils on canvas, watercolors, colored inks or mixed technique on paper, all coming from private collections in Paris.
Beauford lived in Paris from 1953 to 1979, the year of his death. For twenty years, his work played on two registers. First what was called in France "lyrical abstraction" and in the US "abstract expressionism". On the other hand, he did portraits in a very personal fashion. It is as if he had abandoned all conventions, with a desire, for each canvas, to paint as he had never done it before. I see no other equivalent, with the possible exception of “Le Douanier” Rousseau’s portraits that can be seen right now (April 2016) in a beautiful exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay.
In Beauford’s portraits there is something that might have more to do with the empathy felt by the painter for his model than with pictorial technique. An effort, when he faces the man or the woman he is looking at, to find another resemblance, deeper than the photographic one. A clean sweep of all conventions, including perspective, in order to find, when looking at a person, which colors define him or her best.
Portrait of Robert Tricoire
1969, Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm; 25.6" x 21.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
In the portrait of Robert Tricoire, the diaphanous quality of the skin and the transparency of the eyes contrast with the bottle-green background and the navy blue sweater. In the portrait of Mrs. Du Closel, Beauford’s benefactress who, in his final years, put at his disposal a studio before he was hospitalized, what strikes most is a lightness that leads almost to evanescence.
Portrait of Vassili Pikoula
1970, Oil on canvas
130 x 99 cm; 51.2" x 38.9"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
One of the most impressive paintings in this exhibition was a relatively large, 130 x 99 cm oil on canvas portrait of Mrs Vassili Pikoula, dated 1970. Propped in a chair, Pikoula seems to fix the viewer with the dignity of an empress. She stands out as much as she vanishes in an abstract background of great finesse and subtlety. The pattern of her dress … the drapery of a curtain behind it … everything is suggested, nothing too heavily stated.
Man in African Dress
1972, Watercolor
40.6 x 31.7 cm; 15.9" x 12.5"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Also reproduced in the catalog is a watercolor from 1972 depicting a young “Man in African Dress” to whom Beauford conferred the same regal quality. Seated cross-legged on his stool in a large yellow robe, his face irradiates the same pink as the light passing through the doorway. Yes, you read well, this is a young Black man - recognizable by the color of his arms and an ankle not covered by the dress - but whose face is illuminated by a pink light. And the floor is also invaded by the same flood of light. The color pink reflects the softness and tenderness with which Beauford intended to surround his model.
************
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) brought you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
We're creating a documentary of the exhibition that will encourage U.S. and European museums to host it!
To contribute to the funding for this effort, click HERE.
The text below represents Albert-Levin’s English translation of excerpts from his most recent essay, “L’anachronique du flâneur N° 12,” ("Anachronic Chronicle, N° 12"), which is published in French at www.saisonsdeculture.com.
When, at the beginning of a recent visit, Michel Ragon asked me his recurrent question: “What have you done this week?”, it was not easy to answer. Because for me that week had been mainly marked by the exhibition, at the Columbia Global Centers in Montparnasse, of an African-American painter I knew well and greatly admired. His name was Beauford Delaney and I could not think about him without emotion or affection.
Self-portrait
Undated, Oil on canvas
76 x 57 cm; 29.9" x 22.4"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The exhibition held at the Columbia Global Centers in Paris at 4, rue de Chevreuse, 75006 from February 4th to February 26th 2016 (editor’s note: the exhibition was extended through March 15th) presented some forty works of Beauford Delaney: oils on canvas, watercolors, colored inks or mixed technique on paper, all coming from private collections in Paris.
Beauford lived in Paris from 1953 to 1979, the year of his death. For twenty years, his work played on two registers. First what was called in France "lyrical abstraction" and in the US "abstract expressionism". On the other hand, he did portraits in a very personal fashion. It is as if he had abandoned all conventions, with a desire, for each canvas, to paint as he had never done it before. I see no other equivalent, with the possible exception of “Le Douanier” Rousseau’s portraits that can be seen right now (April 2016) in a beautiful exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay.
In Beauford’s portraits there is something that might have more to do with the empathy felt by the painter for his model than with pictorial technique. An effort, when he faces the man or the woman he is looking at, to find another resemblance, deeper than the photographic one. A clean sweep of all conventions, including perspective, in order to find, when looking at a person, which colors define him or her best.
1969, Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm; 25.6" x 21.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
In the portrait of Robert Tricoire, the diaphanous quality of the skin and the transparency of the eyes contrast with the bottle-green background and the navy blue sweater. In the portrait of Mrs. Du Closel, Beauford’s benefactress who, in his final years, put at his disposal a studio before he was hospitalized, what strikes most is a lightness that leads almost to evanescence.
1970, Oil on canvas
130 x 99 cm; 51.2" x 38.9"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
One of the most impressive paintings in this exhibition was a relatively large, 130 x 99 cm oil on canvas portrait of Mrs Vassili Pikoula, dated 1970. Propped in a chair, Pikoula seems to fix the viewer with the dignity of an empress. She stands out as much as she vanishes in an abstract background of great finesse and subtlety. The pattern of her dress … the drapery of a curtain behind it … everything is suggested, nothing too heavily stated.
1972, Watercolor
40.6 x 31.7 cm; 15.9" x 12.5"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Also reproduced in the catalog is a watercolor from 1972 depicting a young “Man in African Dress” to whom Beauford conferred the same regal quality. Seated cross-legged on his stool in a large yellow robe, his face irradiates the same pink as the light passing through the doorway. Yes, you read well, this is a young Black man - recognizable by the color of his arms and an ankle not covered by the dress - but whose face is illuminated by a pink light. And the floor is also invaded by the same flood of light. The color pink reflects the softness and tenderness with which Beauford intended to surround his model.
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) brought you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
We're creating a documentary of the exhibition that will encourage U.S. and European museums to host it!
To contribute to the funding for this effort, click HERE.
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: A Successful Exhibition!
After a hugely successful run (February 4-29) and a two-week extension (March 1-15) at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall, the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition has come to an end.
In previous blog posts about the exhibition, I've brought you information about the prelude (including the University of Arizona Augmented Reality project) and the catalog, as well as the opening, the round table discussion, and the Global Educator Program that comprised much of the event schedule.
Today, I'm sharing photos of the celebration of Beauford's life in Paris, the screening of the documentary Paris Noir, and some of the guided visits conducted by my co-curator, Laurence Choko, and me.
Celebration of Beauford's Life in Paris
(Sunday, 21 February 2016)
Attendees discussing the life of Beauford Delaney
© Discover Paris!
Monique Y. Wells giving presentation
© Discover Paris!
Geneviève Brouard points out friends in a photo
of an event that took place at the
American Cultural Center in 1969
© Discover Paris!
Making comments about and sharing memories of Beauford
Top (left to right):
Bob Tomlinson, Zuka Mitelberg, Arnaud du Closel
Bottom (left to right):
Jean-Loup Msika, Velma Bury, Marc Albert-Levin
© Discover Paris!
Screening of Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light
(Thursday, 25 February 2016)
Monique welcomes the crowd to the screening
© Discover Paris!
Julia Browne talks about the documentary
© Discover Paris!
Samuel Légitimus (left) and members of the
James Baldwin Collective
at the screening
© Discover Paris!
Guided Visits to Exhibition
(multiple dates throughout the exhibition)
Participants for February 27 visit
© Discover Paris!
Presentation of the "inks on paper" abstract
© J Rêve International
Laurence Choko talks about Beauford's contribution
to French art history
© Discover Paris!
Students admire a Delaney painting
© Discover Paris!
Viewing the works in the Salle de Conferences
© Discover Paris!
Talking about The Eye
© Discover Paris!
Several museums have expressed interest in hosting the exhibition. This is an exciting development! Les Amis will be studying these inquiries over the next few weeks.
Now that the exhibition has ended, I will take a break from blogging. Look for a new post in April 2016.
************
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) have brought you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
WE STILL REQUIRE FUNDING FOR THE SHOW!
To contribute, click HERE.
In previous blog posts about the exhibition, I've brought you information about the prelude (including the University of Arizona Augmented Reality project) and the catalog, as well as the opening, the round table discussion, and the Global Educator Program that comprised much of the event schedule.
Today, I'm sharing photos of the celebration of Beauford's life in Paris, the screening of the documentary Paris Noir, and some of the guided visits conducted by my co-curator, Laurence Choko, and me.
Celebration of Beauford's Life in Paris
(Sunday, 21 February 2016)
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
of an event that took place at the
American Cultural Center in 1969
© Discover Paris!
Top (left to right):
Bob Tomlinson, Zuka Mitelberg, Arnaud du Closel
Bottom (left to right):
Jean-Loup Msika, Velma Bury, Marc Albert-Levin
© Discover Paris!
Screening of Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light
(Thursday, 25 February 2016)
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
James Baldwin Collective
at the screening
© Discover Paris!
Guided Visits to Exhibition
(multiple dates throughout the exhibition)
© Discover Paris!
© J Rêve International
to French art history
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Several museums have expressed interest in hosting the exhibition. This is an exciting development! Les Amis will be studying these inquiries over the next few weeks.
Now that the exhibition has ended, I will take a break from blogging. Look for a new post in April 2016.
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) have brought you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
WE STILL REQUIRE FUNDING FOR THE SHOW!
To contribute, click HERE.
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Global Educator Program
The Global Educator Program (GEP), created by J Rêve International in partnership with the Wells International Foundation and Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, was an integral part of the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition.
J Rêve founder Jacqueline Cofield's vision for the Paris program spurred a number of extraordinary encounters between K-12 teachers from the U.S. and organizations in France.
Jacqueline Cofield at Hôtel Le M
© J Rêve International
The group kicked off an intensive week of activities with an orientation at Hôtel Le M followed by Discover Paris' commemorative walking tour entitled Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse:
Orientation room at Hôtel Le M
© J Rêve International
One of the stops on the Beauford Delaney walking tour - Reid Hall
© J Rêve International
Program participants enjoyed extensive interaction with the Fulbright Commission:
J Rêve International Global Educator Program participants at the Fulbright Commission with
Director Arnaud Roujou de Boubée (4th from right) and
Danielle Fortier Berger, Executive Director of the
Mona Bismarck Center in Paris and former Fulbright fellow
(far right)
© J Rêve International
UNESCO:
J Rêve International Global Educator Program participants at UNESCO with
U.S Science Officer Dillon Green (4th person from right)
© J Rêve International
and
a suburban community of artists at the Villa Mais d'Ici, organized by U.S. artist/educator Cheryl Ann Bolden:
Cheryl Ann Bolden's studio at Villa Mais d'Ici
© J Rêve International
In addition, two GEP events were held at Columbia Global Centers at Reid Hall, taking full advantage of the ambiance exuded by Beauford's art:
A meet-and-greet between the GEP participants and educators from Paris and London institutions
Monique presents the strategic focus areas for the Wells International Foundation
to Global Educator Program participants
© J Rêve International
Global Educator Program participant
Margaret Sergent, Second Vice President of the
Rochester Teachers Association in Rochester, NY
and Monique
© J Rêve International
and a panel discussion on STEAM education and Multiple Intelligences.
STEAM and Multiple Intelligences Panel
From left to right: Jacqueline Cofield (moderator), artist Ealy Mays,
GEP Fellow Margaret Sergent, GEP Fellow Malikka Karteron;
craniofacial surgeon Roman Hossein Khonsari
© J Rêve International
During the GEP meet-and-greet, participants were able to talk with Chantal Pinkham, Education Community Projects Lead at Blippar, about the Augmented Reality platform that Blippar provides for teachers and students.
Later, they experienced the technology firsthand as they "blipped" paintings from the exhibition and accessed videos produced by students from the University of Arizona only a couple of weeks prior to their arrival in Paris.
GEP Fellow Louis King "blipping" The Eye
© J Rêve International
J Rêve International's first Global Educator Program was held in Senegal in 2015 in partnership with the Sengalese-American bilingual Blaise Diagne high school and Give1Project. The next program will take place in Ghana in partnership with NYU Africa House in April 2016.
For a full recap of the Global Educator Program's activities, click here.
The Wells International Foundation and Les Amis de Beauford Delaney look forward to future collaborations with J Rêve International and its innovative founder!
************
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are bringing you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the show, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
J Rêve founder Jacqueline Cofield's vision for the Paris program spurred a number of extraordinary encounters between K-12 teachers from the U.S. and organizations in France.
© J Rêve International
The group kicked off an intensive week of activities with an orientation at Hôtel Le M followed by Discover Paris' commemorative walking tour entitled Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse:
© J Rêve International
© J Rêve International
Program participants enjoyed extensive interaction with the Fulbright Commission:
Director Arnaud Roujou de Boubée (4th from right) and
Danielle Fortier Berger, Executive Director of the
Mona Bismarck Center in Paris and former Fulbright fellow
(far right)
© J Rêve International
UNESCO:
U.S Science Officer Dillon Green (4th person from right)
© J Rêve International
and
a suburban community of artists at the Villa Mais d'Ici, organized by U.S. artist/educator Cheryl Ann Bolden:
© J Rêve International
In addition, two GEP events were held at Columbia Global Centers at Reid Hall, taking full advantage of the ambiance exuded by Beauford's art:
A meet-and-greet between the GEP participants and educators from Paris and London institutions
to Global Educator Program participants
© J Rêve International
Margaret Sergent, Second Vice President of the
Rochester Teachers Association in Rochester, NY
and Monique
© J Rêve International
and a panel discussion on STEAM education and Multiple Intelligences.
From left to right: Jacqueline Cofield (moderator), artist Ealy Mays,
GEP Fellow Margaret Sergent, GEP Fellow Malikka Karteron;
craniofacial surgeon Roman Hossein Khonsari
© J Rêve International
During the GEP meet-and-greet, participants were able to talk with Chantal Pinkham, Education Community Projects Lead at Blippar, about the Augmented Reality platform that Blippar provides for teachers and students.
Later, they experienced the technology firsthand as they "blipped" paintings from the exhibition and accessed videos produced by students from the University of Arizona only a couple of weeks prior to their arrival in Paris.
© J Rêve International
J Rêve International's first Global Educator Program was held in Senegal in 2015 in partnership with the Sengalese-American bilingual Blaise Diagne high school and Give1Project. The next program will take place in Ghana in partnership with NYU Africa House in April 2016.
For a full recap of the Global Educator Program's activities, click here.
The Wells International Foundation and Les Amis de Beauford Delaney look forward to future collaborations with J Rêve International and its innovative founder!
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are bringing you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the show, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Beauford on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Perhaps for the first time, two major exhibitions of Beauford's work are taking place simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic!
The first opened on February 3rd at Columbia Global Centers, Reid Hall, in Paris.
Beauford Delaney:
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
Due to the success of the opening reception, the exhibition, and associated events at Columbia Global Centers | Paris, Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color has been extended through March 15 2016!
Here are some of the works on view:
Untitled
1959, Oil on canvas
144.5 x 95.5 cm; 56.9" x 37.6"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Portrait of Robert Tricoire
1969, Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm; 25.6" x 21.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled
1956, Inks on paper
45 x 33.5 cm; 17.7" x 13.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The works presented above and seventeen additional works in the exhibition have been incorporated into the University of Arizona's Augmented Reality project. Video augments of these paintings and works on paper are accessible through the exhibition catalog by using the Blippar app.
Free visits to see the exhibition are scheduled for the following dates:
Registration is required. To register, send e-mail to .
For more information about the show, click on the links below:
Opening reception
Round Table
Beauford Delaney commemorative walking tour
The second exhibition is taking place at The Art Show – ADAA in New York.
In Focus: Beauford Delaney
The Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is featuring fifteen of Beauford's works at The Art Show - ADAA from March 2-6, 2016. Among them are:
Untitled, 1951
Oil on canvas
40 1/2" x 60 1/4"; 102.9 x 153 cm
signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Reve, c.1959
Oil on canvas
39 3/8" x 32"; 100 x 81.3 cm
signed
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Beauford's works are featured in an Artsy editorial that was published about this show on March 2, 2016.
The Art Show is being held at the Park Avenue Armory at 67th Street in New York City. Hours are as follows:
Saturday, March 5 - 12-7 PM
Sunday, March 6 - 12-5 PM
************
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are bringing you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the show, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
The first opened on February 3rd at Columbia Global Centers, Reid Hall, in Paris.
Beauford Delaney:
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
Due to the success of the opening reception, the exhibition, and associated events at Columbia Global Centers | Paris, Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color has been extended through March 15 2016!
Here are some of the works on view:
1959, Oil on canvas
144.5 x 95.5 cm; 56.9" x 37.6"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
1969, Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm; 25.6" x 21.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
1956, Inks on paper
45 x 33.5 cm; 17.7" x 13.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The works presented above and seventeen additional works in the exhibition have been incorporated into the University of Arizona's Augmented Reality project. Video augments of these paintings and works on paper are accessible through the exhibition catalog by using the Blippar app.
Free visits to see the exhibition are scheduled for the following dates:
- Tuesday, March 8 at 10:30 AM
- Thursday, March 10 at 11 AM
- Monday, March 14 at 3:30 PM
Registration is required. To register, send e-mail to .
For more information about the show, click on the links below:
Opening reception
Round Table
Beauford Delaney commemorative walking tour
The second exhibition is taking place at The Art Show – ADAA in New York.
In Focus: Beauford Delaney
The Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is featuring fifteen of Beauford's works at The Art Show - ADAA from March 2-6, 2016. Among them are:
Oil on canvas
40 1/2" x 60 1/4"; 102.9 x 153 cm
signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Oil on canvas
39 3/8" x 32"; 100 x 81.3 cm
signed
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Beauford's works are featured in an Artsy editorial that was published about this show on March 2, 2016.
The Art Show is being held at the Park Avenue Armory at 67th Street in New York City. Hours are as follows:
Saturday, March 5 - 12-7 PM
Sunday, March 6 - 12-5 PM
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, and the Wells International Foundation (WIF) are bringing you this exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall in Paris.
WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT!
To contribute to the show, click HERE.
To sign-up to receive the latest behind-the-scenes news about the show, click HERE.
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Round Table
On February 18th, the Wells International Foundation and Les Amis welcomed Nigel Freeman, Director of the African American Fine Art department at Swann Auction Galleries; André Delpuech, Chief Curator of the Americas collection at the Musée du quai Branly; and Laurence Choko, owner of Galerie Intemporel to a round table discussion entitled "Multiculturalism in Today's Art World" at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall. Freeman and Delpuech were panelists and Choko served as moderator.
The Panel
© Discover Paris!
Laurence Choko, Galerie Intemporel - moderator
© Discover Paris!
Nigel Freeman, Swann Auction Galleries - panelist
© Discover Paris!
André Delpuech, Musée du quai Branly - panelist
© Discover Paris!
I sat in for Dr. Catherine St. John, Doctor of Arts and expert on Beauford Delaney's oeuvre, who was unexpectedly unable to attend.
Monique Y. Wells, Wells International Foundation and
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney filling in for Dr. Catherine St. John
© Discover Paris!
Attendees listened attentively as Freeman and Delpuech presented their positions on "The Rise of the African-American Artist" and "'We' and 'The Others' in Art: Leaving Colonial Ideology Behind", respectively, and I read a statement by Dr. St. John on "The Importance of Context and Collective History."
The audience
© J Rêve International
Rapt attention
© J Rêve International
Panelists posed questions to each other
Nigel Freeman and André Delpuech discuss a point of interest
© Discover Paris!
and the audience was then encouraged to pose questions to the panelists.
Richard Allen asks a question
© J Rêve International
Cinnamon Nolley makes a comment
© J Rêve International
The conversation was lively, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous.
André Delpuech ponders a comment
© Discover Paris!
Nigel Freeman having a chuckle
© Discover Paris!
Several members of the audience had traveled from the U.S. to attend this and other events organized for the exhibition. They included Anne Denise Stills of Smashing Daily and Jim Levis of Levis Fine Art. Both businesses sponsored the exhibition, along with Swann Auction Galleries.
After the formal discussion was over, participants and panelists lingered and enjoyed conversation over wine, water, and nibbles.
From left to right: Margaret Sergent and Malikka Karteron of J Rêve International's
Global Educator Program; Jim Levis of Levis Fine Art
© J Rêve International
Attendees posing next to refreshment table
© J Rêve International
A good time was had by all!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
I sat in for Dr. Catherine St. John, Doctor of Arts and expert on Beauford Delaney's oeuvre, who was unexpectedly unable to attend.
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney
© Discover Paris!
Her travel had been funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Attendees listened attentively as Freeman and Delpuech presented their positions on "The Rise of the African-American Artist" and "'We' and 'The Others' in Art: Leaving Colonial Ideology Behind", respectively, and I read a statement by Dr. St. John on "The Importance of Context and Collective History."
© J Rêve International
© J Rêve International
Panelists posed questions to each other
© Discover Paris!
and the audience was then encouraged to pose questions to the panelists.
© J Rêve International
© J Rêve International
The conversation was lively, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Several members of the audience had traveled from the U.S. to attend this and other events organized for the exhibition. They included Anne Denise Stills of Smashing Daily and Jim Levis of Levis Fine Art. Both businesses sponsored the exhibition, along with Swann Auction Galleries.
After the formal discussion was over, participants and panelists lingered and enjoyed conversation over wine, water, and nibbles.
Global Educator Program; Jim Levis of Levis Fine Art
© J Rêve International
© J Rêve International
A good time was had by all!
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Catalog
When I realized that Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color was going to be a reality, I recognized that it was essential to produce a catalog to document it. Without one, the exhibition would not be taken seriously by the professional art world.
Consequently, we set out to publish a work that is worthy of Beauford's artistic genius.
Catalog cover
The Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog is a 48-page, glossy color publication containing an introduction by curator Laurence Choko and four essays, in English and in French, that speak to various aspects of Beauford's life and oeuvre:
The French version of the essays appears in the front of the catalog, followed by color images of all the works.
Catalog - page 12
The English version of the essays appears after the images. Beauford's biography, in French and English, is presented on the last two pages of the publication.
Included at the beginning of the catalog is a page that acknowledges the unique emphasis on education that the Wells International Foundation has built into the exhibition as a reflection of Beauford's passion for helping young people. Descriptions of the University of Arizona Augmented Reality study abroad project and the Global Educator Program for U. S. K-12 teachers are presented here.
Instructions on how to use the Blippar AR application created by the University of Arizona students are presented here, in French and in English. The Blippar logo:
appears beneath the images of the works that are scannable by the application.
The front and back covers of the catalog are also scannable.
Catalogs are available for purchase. For information on how to obtain one, write to .
Consequently, we set out to publish a work that is worthy of Beauford's artistic genius.
The Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog is a 48-page, glossy color publication containing an introduction by curator Laurence Choko and four essays, in English and in French, that speak to various aspects of Beauford's life and oeuvre:
- Beauford Delaney and Paris, Evolution of an Exhibition by Monique Y. Wells
- Reading Beauford Delaney's Words and Letters : Three Thoughts by Levi Prombaum
- Beauford Delaney: An American Artist in Paris by Catherine St. John
- Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color by Yolanda Wood
The French version of the essays appears in the front of the catalog, followed by color images of all the works.
The English version of the essays appears after the images. Beauford's biography, in French and English, is presented on the last two pages of the publication.
Included at the beginning of the catalog is a page that acknowledges the unique emphasis on education that the Wells International Foundation has built into the exhibition as a reflection of Beauford's passion for helping young people. Descriptions of the University of Arizona Augmented Reality study abroad project and the Global Educator Program for U. S. K-12 teachers are presented here.
Instructions on how to use the Blippar AR application created by the University of Arizona students are presented here, in French and in English. The Blippar logo:
appears beneath the images of the works that are scannable by the application.
The front and back covers of the catalog are also scannable.
Catalogs are available for purchase. For information on how to obtain one, write to .
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color: The Vernissage (Opening Reception)
Simply spectacular!
That sums up the vernissage (opening reception) for the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition that took place at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall on February 3, 2016.
Over 300 people came out for the event over the course of the evening. Art aficionados enjoyed refreshments in the Salle de Conferences, where many works are displayed. They flowed back and forth between this room and the Grande Salle, where more paintings and works on paper punctuate the rich wood paneling found there.
(1966) Oil on canvas
Private collection
Among the notables in attendance were sculptor, poet, and novelist Barbara Chase-Riboud, photographer Florence Gruère, documentary filmmaker Louis Messiah, and author Jake Lamar.
Brune Biebuyck, administrative director of Reid Hall, opened the evening by welcoming attendees to the exhibition and introducing me. She spoke warmly about the collaboration between Columbia Global Center Paris, the Wells International Foundation, and Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, and expressed her pleasure at being able to host the exhibition in the magical place that is Reid Hall.
For my part, I told the story behind Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and shared how the idea for the exhibition was born. I welcomed a contingent of eleven (11) persons from Knoxville, TN — Beauford's hometown — who were among the crowd to honor Knoxville's native son. Several of them were from the Knoxville Museum of Art.
Then the Wells International Foundation's two strategic partners for education / study abroad came to the podium to explain the projects that they had conceived in conjunction with the exhibition.
Jacqueline Cofield, founder of J Rêve International, spoke passionately about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and the Global Educator Program that she has organized for February 15-20. Eight teachers will explore ways to incorporate the arts into their teaching practices for their respective disciplines with a focus on Beauford's life and art.
Professor Bryan Carter and six students from the University of Arizona introduced themselves and their Augmented Reality project. One of the students, Tripp Twyman, demonstrated the process of downloading the Blippar application from the App store onto smart devices and then scanning paintings to activate the app so that attendees could view the video augments and access Web links associated with roughly half of the paintings in the exhibition.
Watch the video of the presentation here.
Once the demonstration was over, attendees went around the exhibition rooms to test the app for themselves.
The atmosphere was exceptionally convivial and attendees were present until closing time.
The Blippar app also works for images in the exhibition catalog, which sold "like hotcakes" in the vestibule outside the Grande Salle. Come back next week to learn why this publication is the first of its kind!