Beauford's Post-War Art
Within the last six months, Beauford's work has been sold at two auctions whose titles reference the Post-war (WWII) period: Christie's Post-war to Present sale and Ader Nordmann's Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) sale.
I recently came across an archival Web site for a major exhibition entitled Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965, which delved extensively into what transpired in the art world in the aftermath of World War II. The site describes the exhibition as
I was pleased to find that two of Beauford's paintings were included in this show, which ran from October 14, 2016 through March 26, 2017. It was held at Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany.
One of the works was a portrait of James Baldwin, currently held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Portrait of James Baldwin
(1945) Oil on canvas
Philadelphia Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The other was a yellow abstract held by the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.
Untitled
(c.1958) Oil on canvas
signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
The exhibition was divided into eight chapters and the artists whose works were shown were listed in one or more of these chapters. Beauford's name was listed in the chapters "Form Matters" and "New Images of Man."
The essay for the chapter entitled "Form Matters" indicates that the exhibition
The essay that describes "New Images of Man" indicates that
In visiting the Web pages that present the works included in each chapter, I found an image of Beauford's abstract in the "Form Matters" section.
However, the image of his portrait of James Baldwin was included in the chapter called "Realisms." The essay for this section focuses primarily on art produced in socialist / communist countries, but it also mentions that the section includes "ideologically programmatic art by such U.S. artists as Norman Rockwell, who was associated with realist rendering and popular audiences."
I recently came across an archival Web site for a major exhibition entitled Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965, which delved extensively into what transpired in the art world in the aftermath of World War II. The site describes the exhibition as
"an in-depth, global study, the exhibition shows painting, sculpture, installation, collage, performance, film, artist books, documents, photography, in total more than 350 works by 218 artists from 65 countries."
I was pleased to find that two of Beauford's paintings were included in this show, which ran from October 14, 2016 through March 26, 2017. It was held at Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany.
One of the works was a portrait of James Baldwin, currently held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
(1945) Oil on canvas
Philadelphia Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The other was a yellow abstract held by the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.
(c.1958) Oil on canvas
signed and dated
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
The exhibition was divided into eight chapters and the artists whose works were shown were listed in one or more of these chapters. Beauford's name was listed in the chapters "Form Matters" and "New Images of Man."
The essay for the chapter entitled "Form Matters" indicates that the exhibition
"emphasizes the affinity of ideas and materials among artists who emigrated to the U.S. from Europe. It also documents the encounters of artists from around the world who gathered in such metropolitan centers as Paris, London, and Mexico City; and reviews the proximity and circulation of art works in international exhibitions and small press publications."
The essay that describes "New Images of Man" indicates that
"Philosophers and artists sought to inquire more deeply into human nature itself, in debates that included the discourses of négritude and existentialism, and the rights of individuals and groups within larger (often oppressive) social and political entities. 'New Images' features pictorial versions of such inquiries, in which humans often appear battered, deformed by the horror of modern life, rent by the question of their own value."
In visiting the Web pages that present the works included in each chapter, I found an image of Beauford's abstract in the "Form Matters" section.
However, the image of his portrait of James Baldwin was included in the chapter called "Realisms." The essay for this section focuses primarily on art produced in socialist / communist countries, but it also mentions that the section includes "ideologically programmatic art by such U.S. artists as Norman Rockwell, who was associated with realist rendering and popular audiences."
Another Beauford Abstract Sells at Auction
Help us finalize the first full-length documentary about Beauford and screen it at this year's Cannes Film Festival!
Click on the following link to give:
Cannes Screening for Beauford Delaney Documentary
**********
Swann Auction Galleries held its spring African-American Fine Art Sale on April 4. Three Beauford Delaney works were made available for purchase.
Untitled (Still Life) is an exquisite example of Beauford's early work and is one of the rare still lifes that he is known to have created. In 1932, the year from which this work dates, a reviewer described his work as displaying "careful, deliberate draughtsmanship."
(1932) Color pastels on green wove paper
584x419 mm; 23x16 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pastel, lower right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated sale price for this piece was set at $25,000 - $30,000.
Beauford created the untitled abstract shown below in 1963. In Amazing Grace
, biographer David Leeming indicates that Beauford was especially inspired to paint that spring and summer.
(1963) Watercolor and pencil on thin wove paper
660x508 mm; 12 1/2x9 1/2 inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled (Red and Yellow Composition), which was once owned by James and Gloria Jones, was shown in the Studio Museum in Harlem exhibition entitled Collected. Propositions on the Permanent Collection in 2009. Its estimated sale price was $6,000 - $9,000.
The final Beauford Delaney work offered for sale was Portrait of a Bearded Young Man Reading, dated 1971-1972. Leeming describes the portraiture from this period as being "vehicles for Beauford's concern with color and the production of light" and says that Beauford's purpose in painting portraits during this time seemed to have been more about celebrating the art of painting itself than about portraying the inner essence of his subjects.
Portrait of a Bearded Young Man Reading
(1971-72) Oil on linen canvas
647x546 mm; 25 1/2x21 1/4 inches
Signed and dated "1972" in pencil, lower left
Signed and dated "1971" in pencil, lower right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The estimated sale price for this painting was $7,000 - $10,000.
Untitled (Red and Yellow Composition) was the only work that sold during the auction. It fetched a hammer price of $17,000, which increased to $21,250 with the addition of the buyer's premium*.
*At auction, there are two prices--the hammer price, or the price at which the item sells during the auction, and the price with the buyer's premium. All auction houses have a buyer's premium that the buyer pays to the auction house in addition to the hammer price. The buyer’s premium for items purchased directly through Swann is 25%. Swann Auction Galleries now reports the "hammer price" and the price that include the buyer's premium in its online catalog.
KMA Mounts Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville Exhibition
On April 2, the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) opened an exhibition of works by the children who are participating in the Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville cultural exchange program based on Beauford's life and art.
Knoxville Museum of Art
© Wells International Foundation
In October 2018, participants in the program from Knoxville's Nature's Way Montessori School and their families visited Paris and had their works shown at an exhibition at the town hall of the 14th arrondissement (district) alongside those of their Paris counterparts from Jean Zay Elementary School.
Jean Zay (left) and Nature's Way (right) students' copies of
Untitled (Trees)
at the Mairie of the 14th arrondissement
© Wells International Foundation
Educators from Nature's Way also made the trip to Paris and brought works by the Jean Zay students back to Knoxville for the KMA exhibition.
The students' works will be displayed from April 2-June 23, 2019. The students' and parents' reception will take place on Sunday, April 28.
Jean Zay portraits of Beauford Delaney (left)
and Nature's Way portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (right)
at the Knoxville Museum of Art
© Dawn Kunkel
This may well be the first time that elementary school children's art from a single project has been exhibited on both sides of the Atlantic!
© Wells International Foundation
In October 2018, participants in the program from Knoxville's Nature's Way Montessori School and their families visited Paris and had their works shown at an exhibition at the town hall of the 14th arrondissement (district) alongside those of their Paris counterparts from Jean Zay Elementary School.
Untitled (Trees)
at the Mairie of the 14th arrondissement
© Wells International Foundation
Educators from Nature's Way also made the trip to Paris and brought works by the Jean Zay students back to Knoxville for the KMA exhibition.
The students' works will be displayed from April 2-June 23, 2019. The students' and parents' reception will take place on Sunday, April 28.
and Nature's Way portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (right)
at the Knoxville Museum of Art
© Dawn Kunkel
This may well be the first time that elementary school children's art from a single project has been exhibited on both sides of the Atlantic!
Cannes Film Festival - Possible Venue for Beauford Documentary Screening
In a blog post that I published almost eight years ago, I spoke about a film project that centered on the celebration of the laying of Beauford's tombstone at the Parisian cemetery of Thiais.
At the time, Zachary Miller of 2 Bulls on the Hill Productions wanted to create a short film (less than 30 minutes) about the many facets of Beauford's life in Paris and to share images of a few of his works owned by private collectors.
Because of the richness and volume of footage obtained, Miller also thought that a full-length documentary could be produced.
Zachary Miller
Proprietor, 2 Bulls on the Hill Productions
© Entrée to Black Paris
Miller has acquired additional material for the project and now informs me that he believes a full-length documentary is not only possible, but preferable. The project is ~90% complete and Miller would like to finish it in time to show it at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 14-25. His comments on this possibility are as follows:
"The appetite and the market for films on historic Black individuals and the Black experience in general is very strong right now...
"We have the great original footage of the graveyard and the Embassy ceremony scenes, the interviews in Paris, etc. The only thing that is lacking is a strong voice-over narrative that I can write and perform if needed and some archival footage of the cities that he [Beauford] lived in, the Harlem Renaissance, and music from around the time that Beauford was in the USA and in Paris."
As you might expect, funds are required to complete the documentary and reserve a screening room for its presentation at Cannes. The budget is as follows:
Cannes Market Accreditation: 500 Euros
Cannes Screening Room: 500 Euros
Publicity, Post Card Printing: 250 Euros
Producer Rep / Marketing / Prints & Advertising: 2,500 Euros
Film footage, music, and archival stock and news footage: 2,000 Euros
Total: 5,750 Euros (needed ASAP)
Monies must be submitted to Cannes for marketing accreditation and booking the screening room no later than April 30.
Please give to support this endeavor! All you need to do is click on the Donate button below.
If you would like to become a private investor in the project, contact me as soon as possible at .
At the time, Zachary Miller of 2 Bulls on the Hill Productions wanted to create a short film (less than 30 minutes) about the many facets of Beauford's life in Paris and to share images of a few of his works owned by private collectors.
Because of the richness and volume of footage obtained, Miller also thought that a full-length documentary could be produced.
Proprietor, 2 Bulls on the Hill Productions
© Entrée to Black Paris
Miller has acquired additional material for the project and now informs me that he believes a full-length documentary is not only possible, but preferable. The project is ~90% complete and Miller would like to finish it in time to show it at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 14-25. His comments on this possibility are as follows:
"The appetite and the market for films on historic Black individuals and the Black experience in general is very strong right now...
"We have the great original footage of the graveyard and the Embassy ceremony scenes, the interviews in Paris, etc. The only thing that is lacking is a strong voice-over narrative that I can write and perform if needed and some archival footage of the cities that he [Beauford] lived in, the Harlem Renaissance, and music from around the time that Beauford was in the USA and in Paris."
As you might expect, funds are required to complete the documentary and reserve a screening room for its presentation at Cannes. The budget is as follows:
Cannes Market Accreditation: 500 Euros
Cannes Screening Room: 500 Euros
Publicity, Post Card Printing: 250 Euros
Producer Rep / Marketing / Prints & Advertising: 2,500 Euros
Film footage, music, and archival stock and news footage: 2,000 Euros
Total: 5,750 Euros (needed ASAP)
Monies must be submitted to Cannes for marketing accreditation and booking the screening room no later than April 30.
Please give to support this endeavor! All you need to do is click on the Donate button below.
If you would like to become a private investor in the project, contact me as soon as possible at .
40th Anniversary of Beauford's Transition
Tuesday, March 26th will mark the 40th anniversary of Beauford's transition.
In commemoration, Les Amis is taking a look at what he was doing during his 40th year of life.
In 1941, Beauford was living at 181 Greene Street in Manhattan. According to his biographer, David Leeming, he was "already experimenting with pure abstractions concerned with light and color without reference to objective forms" at this time.
1941 was also the year that Beauford "came out" as a modernist with a one-man show at the Vendome art gallery in midtown Manhattan. His paintings entitled Greene Street,
Greene Street
(1940) Oil on canvas
Photo by André Moran from the Artsmia Web site
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled (The Artist and Woman Seated),
Untitled (The Artist and Woman Seated)
(1940) Oil on linen canvas
762x914 mm; 30x36 inches
Signed and dated in oil, lower left
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
and Dark Rapture
Dark Rapture
(1941) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
were exhibited in this show.
In December 1941, several of Beauford's paintings were shown alongside the works of other African-American artists in an exhibition at Edith Halpert's Downtown Gallery. The New Yorker magazine singled out one of his abstract paintings, a "swirling red-and-yellow 'Still Life'" for comment.
In commemoration, Les Amis is taking a look at what he was doing during his 40th year of life.
In 1941, Beauford was living at 181 Greene Street in Manhattan. According to his biographer, David Leeming, he was "already experimenting with pure abstractions concerned with light and color without reference to objective forms" at this time.
1941 was also the year that Beauford "came out" as a modernist with a one-man show at the Vendome art gallery in midtown Manhattan. His paintings entitled Greene Street,
(1940) Oil on canvas
Photo by André Moran from the Artsmia Web site
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled (The Artist and Woman Seated),
(1940) Oil on linen canvas
762x914 mm; 30x36 inches
Signed and dated in oil, lower left
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
and Dark Rapture
(1941) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
were exhibited in this show.
In December 1941, several of Beauford's paintings were shown alongside the works of other African-American artists in an exhibition at Edith Halpert's Downtown Gallery. The New Yorker magazine singled out one of his abstract paintings, a "swirling red-and-yellow 'Still Life'" for comment.
A Musical Interlude
Beauford loved and had quite an eclectic taste for music.
In a letter that Beauford wrote to his friend Al Hirschfeld in 1940, he talks about painting while listening to Billie Holiday and he recommends other recordings that he thinks his friend will benefit from having. One of these is "She's a Trucking Little Baby" by Blind Boy Fuller.
I had not heard of this artist before and looked up the song. Here it is for your enjoyment!
In a letter that Beauford wrote to his friend Al Hirschfeld in 1940, he talks about painting while listening to Billie Holiday and he recommends other recordings that he thinks his friend will benefit from having. One of these is "She's a Trucking Little Baby" by Blind Boy Fuller.
I had not heard of this artist before and looked up the song. Here it is for your enjoyment!
Beauford in the "Four Sunday Painters" Exhibition at the Whitney Studio Galleries
Several years ago, I published an article about how Beauford came to show works at the Whitney Studio Galleries soon after he arrived in New York. I've recently learned more about this and am sharing the information below.
The show was entitled Exhibition by four Sunday painters : Arthur E. Cederquist, Beauford Delaney, Prosper Invernizzi, Kalman Oswald.
Cover for exhibition checklist
Source: Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York
Fair use
Beauford contributed twelve of the 40 works displayed in the exhibition, which ran from February 26-March 8, 1930. They are listed in the center panel of the image below.
Exhibition checklist
Source: Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York
Fair use
Juliana Force, director of purchasing and exhibition at the Whitney, bought two of Beauford's pastels on the first day of the show: Girl in Yellow Dress and Profile of Boy. She paid $25 for each work. (In today's dollars, she would have paid ~$730 per pastel.)
Shipping receipt for Juliana Force purchase
Source: Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York
Fair use
By the end of the show, all but two pastels were sold.
The show was entitled Exhibition by four Sunday painters : Arthur E. Cederquist, Beauford Delaney, Prosper Invernizzi, Kalman Oswald.
Source: Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York
Fair use
Beauford contributed twelve of the 40 works displayed in the exhibition, which ran from February 26-March 8, 1930. They are listed in the center panel of the image below.
Source: Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York
Fair use
Juliana Force, director of purchasing and exhibition at the Whitney, bought two of Beauford's pastels on the first day of the show: Girl in Yellow Dress and Profile of Boy. She paid $25 for each work. (In today's dollars, she would have paid ~$730 per pastel.)
Source: Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York
Fair use
By the end of the show, all but two pastels were sold.
Christie's Sells Beauford's Abstraction No. 4
Beauford's Abstraction No. 4 was auctioned by Christie's New York during its Post-War to Present sale on February 28.
Abstraction No. 4
(ca. 1965) Oil on canvas
51 x 38 1/8 in. (129.5 x 96.8 cm.)
signed 'Beauford Delaney' (upper right)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The seller acquired the painting from Beauford's brother, Joseph, who acquired it from Beauford.
Abstraction No. 4's estimated sale price was $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $387,000, including a buyer's premium of 20%.
For more information about the Post-War to Present sale, click HERE.
(ca. 1965) Oil on canvas
51 x 38 1/8 in. (129.5 x 96.8 cm.)
signed 'Beauford Delaney' (upper right)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The seller acquired the painting from Beauford's brother, Joseph, who acquired it from Beauford.
Abstraction No. 4's estimated sale price was $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $387,000, including a buyer's premium of 20%.
For more information about the Post-War to Present sale, click HERE.
Beauford at Christie's New York
A beautiful yellow abstract by Beauford is being auctioned by Christie's New York during its Post-War to Present sale on February 28.
Abstraction No. 4
(ca. 1965) Oil on canvas
51 x 38 1/8 in. (129.5 x 96.8 cm.)
signed 'Beauford Delaney' (upper right)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The date given for the painting is circa 1965. In November of that year, Beauford wrote the following to his dear friend, Henry Miller:
"Something has happened to my color and the paintings seem to have sunlight and the feeling sometimes of all you wonderful people it has been my privilege to have as friends and architects of the spirit."
Abstraction No. 4 seems to embody this spirit. It is listed as Lot 3 in the Christie's catalog and its estimated sale price is $100,000 to $150,000.
For more information about the sale, click HERE.
(ca. 1965) Oil on canvas
51 x 38 1/8 in. (129.5 x 96.8 cm.)
signed 'Beauford Delaney' (upper right)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The date given for the painting is circa 1965. In November of that year, Beauford wrote the following to his dear friend, Henry Miller:
"Something has happened to my color and the paintings seem to have sunlight and the feeling sometimes of all you wonderful people it has been my privilege to have as friends and architects of the spirit."
Abstraction No. 4 seems to embody this spirit. It is listed as Lot 3 in the Christie's catalog and its estimated sale price is $100,000 to $150,000.
For more information about the sale, click HERE.
Beauford in Ink
From what I've seen over the years, Beauford rarely used ink when he created colored abstract works on paper. Because of a recent inquiry regarding the sale of one of his paintings from Darthea Speyer's collection at Christie's in Paris in 2010, I was reminded of this beautiful work on paper, which was sold at the same auction.
Untitled
(1961) Ink, inkwash, and aquarelle on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford signed and dated this work and dedicated it as follows:
"Mallorca 1961 for miss Darthea Speyer"
Beauford traveled to San Telmo in Mallorca in late August 1961 with Charley and Gita Boggs; their son, Gordon, and Joe and Bernice O'Reilly. The Boggses were dear, long-time friends who had sent out a plea for funds to pay for Beauford's medical expenses after his mental breakdown in Greece the month before. They took responsibility for him upon his return to France while they and other friends sought a solution for his precarious physical and mental state. Beauford had traveled to Greece to meet Darthea Speyer; it was she who organized his medical care in Greece and his return to France.
From biographer David Leeming's account of this trip in Amazing Grace, we know that Beauford was soothed by the company of Gita and Bernice and that he "even began to do some watercolors."
In this work, the brilliant yellow background is overlaid by wide, irregular, sinuous bands of black with smudged to feathery edges, some of which are tinged with blue and / or outlined in white. These latter areas almost seem electric. Perhaps we can interpret the black bands as the darkness that permeated his spirit during these difficult days and the "electric" zones as sparks of hope that he would once again feel whole and happy in the light represented by the yellow backdrop.
The only other colored ink abstract work that I recall seeing was shown in the 2016 Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition in Paris.
Untitled
(1956) Inks on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
1956 was the first year Beauford stayed in Clamart. Richard A. Long, who organized the first retrospective of Beauford’s work at the Studio Museum of Harlem in 1978, described works from this period as being characterized “either by a somber palette or by the sheer power of clashing color masses”.
Here, we are clearly in the realm of the latter. The red mass in the center of the paper projects boldly upward at a slight angle, while the tortuous, underlying black mass leads the eye downward in opposition. The red mass seems rigid and inanimate, while the black seems fluid, even serpentine, with the head of the coiled snake poised to strike.
Swaths of lighter color soften the work while simultaneously enhancing the contrast between its two main thrusts of energy, each of which represents power in a different form.
(1961) Ink, inkwash, and aquarelle on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford signed and dated this work and dedicated it as follows:
"Mallorca 1961 for miss Darthea Speyer"
Beauford traveled to San Telmo in Mallorca in late August 1961 with Charley and Gita Boggs; their son, Gordon, and Joe and Bernice O'Reilly. The Boggses were dear, long-time friends who had sent out a plea for funds to pay for Beauford's medical expenses after his mental breakdown in Greece the month before. They took responsibility for him upon his return to France while they and other friends sought a solution for his precarious physical and mental state. Beauford had traveled to Greece to meet Darthea Speyer; it was she who organized his medical care in Greece and his return to France.
From biographer David Leeming's account of this trip in Amazing Grace
, we know that Beauford was soothed by the company of Gita and Bernice and that he "even began to do some watercolors."In this work, the brilliant yellow background is overlaid by wide, irregular, sinuous bands of black with smudged to feathery edges, some of which are tinged with blue and / or outlined in white. These latter areas almost seem electric. Perhaps we can interpret the black bands as the darkness that permeated his spirit during these difficult days and the "electric" zones as sparks of hope that he would once again feel whole and happy in the light represented by the yellow backdrop.
The only other colored ink abstract work that I recall seeing was shown in the 2016 Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition in Paris.
(1956) Inks on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
1956 was the first year Beauford stayed in Clamart. Richard A. Long, who organized the first retrospective of Beauford’s work at the Studio Museum of Harlem in 1978, described works from this period as being characterized “either by a somber palette or by the sheer power of clashing color masses”.
Here, we are clearly in the realm of the latter. The red mass in the center of the paper projects boldly upward at a slight angle, while the tortuous, underlying black mass leads the eye downward in opposition. The red mass seems rigid and inanimate, while the black seems fluid, even serpentine, with the head of the coiled snake poised to strike.
Swaths of lighter color soften the work while simultaneously enhancing the contrast between its two main thrusts of energy, each of which represents power in a different form.
Beauford in God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin
Dark Rapture is the first portrait that Beauford painted of James Baldwin.
Dark Rapture
(1941) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is one of three featured works of art by Beauford in the exhibition entitled God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin, curated by writer Hilton Als and showing at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York. New York Times writer Holland Cotter describes Dark Rapture as the centerpiece of the show.
God Made My Face - Dark Rapture
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
God Made My Face is Als' piercingly personal look at Baldwin's life and work. The first, autobiographical section of the two-part show, called "The Walker in the City," presents Baldwin in New York and Paris. Visitors will find it in the 525 Gallery. This is the section in which Beauford's paintings are hung.
Rehearsal, a 1952 figurative painting, hangs next to a photo of Baldwin's stepfather, David Baldwin (who was a preacher).
Beauford's Rehearsal and photo of David Baldwin
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
An untitled Beauford Delaney abstract from 1963 hangs next to two black & white photos of 1900s Paris by Eugène Atget.
Beauford's Untitled and Atget photos
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
Other artists whose works appear in the show include Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Sedat Pakay, Glenn Ligon, and Kara Walker. One of these artists, Marlene Dumas, contributed a series of fourteen portraits called Baldwin and, 2014-2018 to the show - including one of Baldwin and one of Beauford. Beauford's portrait hangs at the far left of the series.
Marlene Dumas series
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
Beauford Delaney, 2018
Marlene Dumas
Ink, graphite, and metallic acrylic on paper
DUMMA0818P1
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
In an article published in The New Yorker, Als describes Beauford as Baldwin's "other father, a gay father." He is planning to curate a show of Beauford's work later this year.
God Made My Face is on display through February 16, 2019.
David Zwirner Gallery
525 and 533 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212-727-2070
*************
Listen to this interview with Hilton Als about God Made My Face. From 5:06 to 10:22, Als and interviewer Savona Bailey-McClain talk about Beauford and James Baldwin.
(1941) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It is one of three featured works of art by Beauford in the exhibition entitled God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin, curated by writer Hilton Als and showing at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York. New York Times writer Holland Cotter describes Dark Rapture as the centerpiece of the show.
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
God Made My Face is Als' piercingly personal look at Baldwin's life and work. The first, autobiographical section of the two-part show, called "The Walker in the City," presents Baldwin in New York and Paris. Visitors will find it in the 525 Gallery. This is the section in which Beauford's paintings are hung.
Rehearsal, a 1952 figurative painting, hangs next to a photo of Baldwin's stepfather, David Baldwin (who was a preacher).
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
An untitled Beauford Delaney abstract from 1963 hangs next to two black & white photos of 1900s Paris by Eugène Atget.
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
Other artists whose works appear in the show include Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Sedat Pakay, Glenn Ligon, and Kara Walker. One of these artists, Marlene Dumas, contributed a series of fourteen portraits called Baldwin and, 2014-2018 to the show - including one of Baldwin and one of Beauford. Beauford's portrait hangs at the far left of the series.
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
Marlene Dumas
Ink, graphite, and metallic acrylic on paper
DUMMA0818P1
Image courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
In an article published in The New Yorker, Als describes Beauford as Baldwin's "other father, a gay father." He is planning to curate a show of Beauford's work later this year.
God Made My Face is on display through February 16, 2019.
David Zwirner Gallery
525 and 533 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212-727-2070
Listen to this interview with Hilton Als about God Made My Face. From 5:06 to 10:22, Als and interviewer Savona Bailey-McClain talk about Beauford and James Baldwin.
Happy Birthday, Delia Delaney!
Beauford's mother, Delia Elizabeth Johnson Delaney, was born in Richmond, Virginia on February 1, 1865.
In the Joseph Delaney biography The Life, Art, and Times of Joseph Delaney, author Frederick C. Moffatt describes her as "the family's emotional anchor and its stealthy exhorter." Beauford's biographer, David Leeming, describes her as "the much deferred-to matriarch of the Delaney household."
The portrait of Delia Delaney represented below is my favorite of the ones I have seen by Beauford.
Portrait of Delia Delaney
(1933) Pastel on paper
Knoxville Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It would be interesting to know whether Delia actually sat for any of the portraits Beauford did of her!
Photo of the Delaney Family, 1909
Top, left to right: Samuel Emery, John Samuel, Delia
Bottom, left to right: Joseph, Ogust Mae, Beauford, Naomi
Photo from du Closel archive
Image © Discover Paris!
In the Joseph Delaney biography The Life, Art, and Times of Joseph Delaney, author Frederick C. Moffatt describes her as "the family's emotional anchor and its stealthy exhorter." Beauford's biographer, David Leeming
, describes her as "the much deferred-to matriarch of the Delaney household."The portrait of Delia Delaney represented below is my favorite of the ones I have seen by Beauford.
(1933) Pastel on paper
Knoxville Museum of Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It would be interesting to know whether Delia actually sat for any of the portraits Beauford did of her!
Top, left to right: Samuel Emery, John Samuel, Delia
Bottom, left to right: Joseph, Ogust Mae, Beauford, Naomi
Photo from du Closel archive
Image © Discover Paris!
Beauford and Bob Thompson at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is taking full advantage of a long term loan of the Myron Kunin Collection of American Art*. Robert Cozzolino, Mia's Patrick and Aimee Butler Curator of Paintings, shared information about Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson, the most recent installation that explores the strengths and character of Kunin's collector's eye.
Image courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art
Kunin collected several works by Bob Thompson, a painter who, like Beauford, spent time in New York and Paris. Both artists worked in the Abstract Expressionist style. They participated in a group show along with fellow artist Abe Rattner at the American Artists' Center in Paris in 1962. In a scholarly article published in Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (1999), author Geoffrey Jacques says the following about Thompson:
"His sense of color and his way of applying paint may have had their roots in art history (I find echoes of Matisse, and, to some extent, Beauford Delaney)..."
Cozzolino thought it would be good to give Mia visitors a chance to view these paintings and created the exhibition to coincide with Black History Month tours that the museum is hosting in February. It consists of 15 works - nine by Thompson, four by Beauford, one by Jan Müller (a New York-based expressionist artist whose work Thompson appreciated), and one by Baroque painter Johann Georg Platzer (Thompson frequently reinterpreted works by Baroque and Renaissance masters). By including Beauford's paintings in the show, Cozzolino aims to have viewers compare and contract his work with that of Thompson.
Mia owns four Beauford Delaney paintings, two of which are on display in the current exhibition. One of these is the famous raincoat painting from Beauford's early Paris years; the other is an untitled oil on masonite painting from his New York years. The untitled painting is hung next to Thompson's oil on canvas entitled The Wind.
The Wind by Bob Thompson (center)
Image courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art
(1947) Oil on masonite
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The raincoat painting is displayed alone, mounted on a plinth in the center of the room. Jazz Quartet and Untitled (Washington Square Park), both of which are on loan to the museum, are hung next to each other on one wall of the exhibition. Untitled (Washington Square Park) is part of the Kunin Collection.
Untitled (Washington Square Park) and Jazz Quartet (far right)
Image courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art
(1952) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Mia's sole Bob Thompson painting - Homage to Nina Simone is the focal piece of the exhibition. The remainder of the Thompson paintings on display are from the Kunin Collection.
Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson is located in room G275 at Mia. It is scheduled to run through March 24, 2019. Entry to the museum is free.
Kunin Collection Focus: Bob Thompson
November 3, 2018 - March 24, 2019
Minneapolis Institute of Art
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
Telephone: (888)642-2787 (Toll Free)
Internet: visit@artsmia.org
*Over the span of four decades, Myron Kunin assembled one of the most important private collections of American paintings from the first half of the 20th century. On extended loan to Mia from the Kunin family, the 396 paintings, 64 prints and drawings, 21 sculptures, and 77 photographs comprise one of the foremost collections of American modern art in private hands.
Buyer Beware: Authenticating Your Purchase of Beauford's Art
A recently published article in ArtForum entitled "Dealers Say Counterfeit Artworks by African American Artists Are on the Rise" opens with the following statement:
"As African American artists have done increasingly well in the art market, shattering auction records and creating a surge in demand, there has been a corresponding growth in the number of forgeries attributed to African American artists, from Alma Thomas to Charles White."
This statement applies to Beauford's art. Last year, sale prices of his work at several auctions far exceeded expectations. An example is Swann Auction Galleries' sale of Untitled (Village Street Scene) for $557,000 (including buyer's premium), when the estimated sale price was $150,000 to $250,000.
Untitled (Village Street Scene)
(1948) Oil on canvas
737x1016 mm; 29x40 inches
Signed and dated in oil, lower left.
Image from Swann Auction Galleries Web site
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
At the same time, there were many occasions when I wanted to publish an article about one or more works being offered at auction and permission to publish was denied by the Beauford Delaney estate because the pieces were suspected to be forgeries.
Requiring proof of authentication is a critical step in acquiring works of fine art and yet this is not always the easiest thing to accomplish. If you are new to collecting, you may want to learn more about this. So I am providing links to several online sources of information that pertain to this topic. I hope you'll find them useful!
Note that Les Amis does not endorse any of these sources or the information that they provide.
What Counts as an Artwork’s Proof of Authenticity
What Every Art Collector Needs to Know About Provenance
Art Provenance: What It Is and How to Verify It
Everything You Need to Know About the Certificate of Authenticity
How to Tell if your Artwork is Fake
"As African American artists have done increasingly well in the art market, shattering auction records and creating a surge in demand, there has been a corresponding growth in the number of forgeries attributed to African American artists, from Alma Thomas to Charles White."
This statement applies to Beauford's art. Last year, sale prices of his work at several auctions far exceeded expectations. An example is Swann Auction Galleries' sale of Untitled (Village Street Scene) for $557,000 (including buyer's premium), when the estimated sale price was $150,000 to $250,000.
(1948) Oil on canvas
737x1016 mm; 29x40 inches
Signed and dated in oil, lower left.
Image from Swann Auction Galleries Web site
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
At the same time, there were many occasions when I wanted to publish an article about one or more works being offered at auction and permission to publish was denied by the Beauford Delaney estate because the pieces were suspected to be forgeries.
Requiring proof of authentication is a critical step in acquiring works of fine art and yet this is not always the easiest thing to accomplish. If you are new to collecting, you may want to learn more about this. So I am providing links to several online sources of information that pertain to this topic. I hope you'll find them useful!
Note that Les Amis does not endorse any of these sources or the information that they provide.
What Counts as an Artwork’s Proof of Authenticity
What Every Art Collector Needs to Know About Provenance
Art Provenance: What It Is and How to Verify It
Everything You Need to Know About the Certificate of Authenticity
How to Tell if your Artwork is Fake
Time Out: A Contemplative Exercise with Beauford's Art
In an article entitled "Double Vision: Beauford Delaney and Ted Joans in France," art historian and curator Karima Boudou makes two insightful statements about Beauford's art:
"A Delaney painting is a poem rather than a picture. It portrays an emotion called up by a scene, and not the scene itself in all its elaborate complexity."
" If you spend time in front of a Delaney painting and watch, figures and objects come in and out of focus, just as if everything in the world is elusive. The reason for this ambiguity in Delaney’s work is that a Delaney painting is not simply a depiction of a new way of seeing; it is, rather, the visual articulation of a metaphysical state."
I invite you to take some time out from your busy schedule and look at the images of several of Beauford's paintings below, keeping these two statements in mind. Give yourself a wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine and contemplate what you see and feel!
Rosa Parks
(1967) oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
Can Fire in the Park
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The Eye
(1965) Oil on canvas
Private Collection
© Discover Paris
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Dark Rapture (a portrait of James Baldwin)
(1941) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled
Watercolor on paper
Signed and dated lower left in red ink, "Beauford Delaney 1971"
Photo courtesy of Case Antiques
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Café Scene
(1966) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Portrait of Vasilli Pikoula
(1970) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
"A Delaney painting is a poem rather than a picture. It portrays an emotion called up by a scene, and not the scene itself in all its elaborate complexity."
" If you spend time in front of a Delaney painting and watch, figures and objects come in and out of focus, just as if everything in the world is elusive. The reason for this ambiguity in Delaney’s work is that a Delaney painting is not simply a depiction of a new way of seeing; it is, rather, the visual articulation of a metaphysical state."
I invite you to take some time out from your busy schedule and look at the images of several of Beauford's paintings below, keeping these two statements in mind. Give yourself a wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine and contemplate what you see and feel!
(1967) oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
(1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1965) Oil on canvas
Private Collection
© Discover Paris
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1941) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Watercolor on paper
Signed and dated lower left in red ink, "Beauford Delaney 1971"
Photo courtesy of Case Antiques
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1966) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1970) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Solliès-Toucas
The images below represent two paintings by Beauford that bare the (misspelled) name of the French town of Solliès-Toucas. Beauford's friends, Richard Olney and Bernard Hassell, owned a home there.
Sollis Toucan
(1963) Oil on canvas
Signed, dated and titled, on the stretcher
16 3/8 x 13 inches
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Soullis Toucas
(Beauford's gift to Roy Freeman)
Oil on canvas
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
In the book entitled The Gourmand's Way, we find descriptions of the property where Beauford created these works. It overlooked the valley of the Gapeau River, where
"...cherry orchards transformed the valley into a blanket of white blossom in early April, the ground of the hillsides formed a tapestry of the blues and violets of flowering wild thyme, punctuated by bushes of wild rosemary..."
Author Justin Spring describes Olney and Hassell's home as a "ruined shepherd's cottage," a "one-bedroom home" featuring "a combination kitchen and hearth as its main room." He says that the terrace was the place where guests gathered and describes a "dining table tucked into a combination of sun awning and grape arbor" there. Olney decorated the terrace with a string of lights and planted flowers and herbs on parterres below. The house had a southeastern exposure, which provided for plenty of sun most of the year. The surrounding land consisted of seven acres of olive groves.
Throughout much of the 1960s (the period when at least one of the above paintings was created), there was no road leading to the property. The house had no running water and no phone. Cooking was done on a gas ring. The garden housed "a walk-in aviary and chicken run, a gently dripping fountain, a persimmon tree..."
Over time, improvements to the property included the addition of a fireplace in the kitchen, a driveway and parking area, and a wine cellar.
Guests would commonly stay 1-2 weeks at a time and were expected to contribute to the functioning of the household - foraging for wild herbs and vegetables, preparing meals, stacking wood were all activities in which they could expect to partake.
This was the world where biographer David Leeming
says that "Beauford painted a great deal, and, as always, enjoyed the sun..."Season's Greetings from Les Amis de Beauford Delaney!
In celebration of this year's holiday season, I'm sharing links to a couple of past blog posts published about Beauford at Christmas:
Christmas with Beauford
A Christmas Self-portrait
Les Amis hopes you had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year!
Christmas with Beauford
A Christmas Self-portrait
Les Amis hopes you had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year!
Knoxville Honors Beauford with Art Wraps
David Butler, Executive Director of the Knoxville Museum of Art, recently shared news about a "Downtown Art Wrap" in Knoxville that features one of Beauford's paintings. Never having heard of an "Art Wrap" before, I asked David to connect me with someone who could explain the concept. Paul James, Development Director for the Knoxville History Project, graciously granted me an interview to explain it all.
Beauford Delaney Untitled Landscape Art Wrap
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
Les Amis: Who conceived of the Art Wrap?
PJ: The general idea of wrapping local traffic boxes (on three or four sides with vinyl) was suggested to the Knoxville History Project (KHP) by a local downtown resident-focused group called City People. Several of their members had seen traffic boxes and utility boxes wrapped in other places using old black and white photographs or contemporary artworks.
Following feedback from Knoxville’s Public Arts Committee, KHP submitted a small grants request to City People to fund a new concept – showcasing artworks from Knoxville’s artists of the past. This approach is better aligned with KHP’s mission and provides an opportunity for visitors and residents to discover aspects of the city’s artistic heritage. Plus, colorful artworks add a greater vibrancy to downtown streetscapes than old photographs!
To get us started, City People awarded KHP a modest grant to wrap two initial traffic boxes which went on public display on Gay Street in August, 2017 featuring highly regarded local artists from the past, Catherine Wiley and Charles Krutch.
Les Amis: How did KMA and KHP join forces on this project?
PJ: Before we began, we consulted with David Butler, KMA’s Executive Director, about the general concept knowing that to be successful we would need help from KMA. David as immediately saw the potential for taking the museum’s treasures out of the museum and sharing them with the public on the city’s streets. KMA provided high resolution images of two initial paintings (by Wiley and Krutch as mentioned above) from its permanent exhibition, Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee. David’s staff at KMA has been wonderful to work with and we couldn’t have gotten this far without their generous time and support.
Beauford Delaney Untitled Landscape Art Wrap
and Knoxville Sunsphere
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
Les Amis: Is the intent to honor all the artists whose works are displayed in Higher Ground?
PJ: Pivotal works from Higher Ground are certainly the cornerstone of Downtown Art Wraps, and so far KHP has installed 14 Downtown Art Wraps, the majority of which are pulled from that exhibition. However, we also feature several Knoxville artworks from other local collections, including McClung Museum, East Tennessee Historical Society, and the Knox County Public Library’s McClung Historical Collection.
As the initiative expands we hope to include as many of the Higher Ground artists as possible. However, several of the paintings included in Higher Ground are on loan to KMA or have some permission restrictions that we haven’t tackled yet. Gaining permission to use any artwork is crucially important to us all.
Artists from Higher Ground currently featured include:
Beauford Delaney
Catherine Wiley
Charles Krutch
Robert Birdwell
C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing
Rudolph Ingerle
Richard Clarke
Les Amis: Who is responsible for deciding whether artists and artworks from private collections are accepted for wraps?
PJ: KHP has created a portfolio of around 20 local artists from KMA and other collections for the program. Many of the artists have multiple artworks which we’ve included in the list. KMA Curator, Stephen Wicks, has also been very helpful in recommending several artworks from Higher Ground which are not currently on display since the exhibit changes from time to time.
In addition, KHP works with KMA and other collection managers to only select artworks where we have permission to include the art and can gain access to high resolution files which are needed to enlarge for the traffic boxes. Occasionally we need additional permissions from other individuals. In the case of Beauford Delaney’s artwork we also sought permission from Mr. Derek Spratley, court appointed administrator for the Beauford Delaney estate.
Les Amis: How are the locations for the wraps selected?
PJ: KHP is primarily focusing on the downtown core of the city which includes approximately 40 traffic boxes which can be wrapped within the central business improvement district’s defined “downtown” area. However, in 2019 KHP will work with the City of Knoxville to add four new Art Wraps beyond downtown on Magnolia Avenue as part of that particular streetscapes improvement project in East Knoxville.
Map showing Downtown Art Wrap locations
(Beauford Delaney Wraps indicated by red arrows)
Screenshot from Knoxville History Project Web site
Les Amis: How long does it take to put a wrap into place once the artist and painting are agreed upon?
PJ: It may seem a straight forward process but some Art Wraps happen quickly, others take months because of delays with permissions for example. However, once we have the artist selected and high resolution artwork in hand it generally takes 2-3 of weeks to install. Steps include drafting the artist’s biography (featured on every box), locating an image of the artist (not always easy to find), and then submitting all the elements to the local company, Graphic Creations, to layout out the Art Wrap on the particular box.
Each traffic box has to be pre-measured before layout can begin. Many of the boxes are different in size and sometimes the boxes are wrapped on three or four sides. This is certainly not a cookie-cutter approach! We have learned that it’s quite a nuanced process, and we try to capture the most important elements of a painting, and where possible to include the artist’s signature in the wrap. Finally, before the wrap enters production, KHP shares the draft design with the sponsor. Installation usually takes two hours per box when the vinyl is ready.
Graphic Creations takes care, when applying the Art Wrap, not to impede air vents and hinges. They use heat to mold the vinyl securely on non-flat surfaces.
Les Amis: How are the wraps financed (municipal funds / corporate sponsors / private donations)?
PJ: KHP seeks financial sponsors for each wrap. To date, Downtown Art Wraps have been sponsored by local businesses, individuals, and organizations (eg. City People). Our attempt is to make them reasonably affordable and so sponsorships are between $1,500 and $1,750 each depending on the size of the traffic box. The revenue provides a source of income for KHP with at least a third of the fee covering production costs.
Les Amis: How easy / difficult has it been to interest the business community in sponsoring wraps?
About half of the Art Wraps have been funded through corporate support. One individual funded three boxes. Downtown Knoxville, the city’s central improvement district, funded three Art Wraps. So it has been a mixture of funding sources. We would like to see more corporations fund the program and help us fulfill our vision of completing 40 Downtown Art Wraps. It has been more difficult to interest the business community more than I thought it would be. Certainly, the response from individuals from the public have all been positive.
Les Amis: How are the wraps inaugurated?
PJ: KHP held a media event in August of 2017 to officially launch the Downtown Art Wraps program and showcase the first two boxes. (Is this what you meant?)
In addition to the first event, we have been featured on Visit Knoxville’s website:
https://www.visitknoxville.com/listings/downtown-art-wraps/1762/
We had an article featured in “Inside of Knoxville:”
https://insideofknoxville.com/2017/09/downtown-art-wraps-by-the-knoxville-history-project-appear-around-the-city/
Plus, we received a special “Preservation Media” award from one of our partners, Knox Heritage.
We haven’t planned an event for the Beauford Wraps yet but will let you know if we do so.
Screenshot of KHP Interactive Map showing
description and location of Yaddo
Les Amis: How are the wraps maintained?
PJ: KHP works directly with City of Knoxville’s Department of Engineering with installation and to monitor wear and tear, damage, and address graffiti issues. The vinyl includes a graffiti-resistant application, which although not 100% guaranteed, has worked very well so far. City engineers believe that the wraps act as a deterrent. In one case of graffiti, Graphic Creations (the installer) was able to clean off the graffiti quite easily. To date then it’s been fairly hassle-free.
Les Amis: How is a work by a particular artist selected to represent that artist?
PJ: The artworks are generally selected for their compatibility to be reproduced on a traffic box (abstract works work best) as well as their vibrancy and attractiveness in the urban setting. Plus, KHP works directly with its sponsors to help select a piece that they are inspired by from the full list of available works. In several cases, we have matched up an artist with a certain location, including a Lloyd Branson painting near where his former studio was located, or Albert Milani and his marble eagle carving across the street from the Tennessee Supreme Court building adorned with the actual eagle carvings. But the placement of traffic light intersections generally makes tying an artwork to a specific location quite difficult. That said, the Art Wraps seems to work anywhere.
Les Amis: Why were the untitled landscape and Yaddo selected to represent Beauford Delaney?
PJ: These paintings were suggested by KMA as excellent examples of Beauford’s works recently acquired by the museum.
Les Amis: Untitled Landscape is sponsored by the Knoxville Central Business Improvement District. Who sponsored Yaddo?
Beauford Delaney Yaddo Art Wrap
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
PJ: Yaddo was sponsored by residents at the RiverHill Gateway Neighborhood Association who were looking for creative ways to spruce up their street frontage. Diversity was important to them as that location was formerly a diverse and poor riverside shanty community. Just north of there was a section of the former African American community along First Creek – essentially erased during “Urban Renewal” in the 1950s. A Beauford Delaney painting at this location made sense.
Les Amis: Are there any other Beauford Delaney art wraps planned?
PJ: Not immediately but there is at least one more Beauford Delaney painting that we have included in our current selections which may be used in the Magnolia Avenue Art Wraps planned for mid-2019.
Les Amis: What happens to the wraps after their ~3-year lifespan expires?
PJ: Depending on wear and tear, and fading, the Art Wraps may be left up longer or switched out for different artworks with existing or new sponsors. The initiative can therefore run for years, if not indefinitely.
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
Les Amis: Who conceived of the Art Wrap?
PJ: The general idea of wrapping local traffic boxes (on three or four sides with vinyl) was suggested to the Knoxville History Project (KHP) by a local downtown resident-focused group called City People. Several of their members had seen traffic boxes and utility boxes wrapped in other places using old black and white photographs or contemporary artworks.
Following feedback from Knoxville’s Public Arts Committee, KHP submitted a small grants request to City People to fund a new concept – showcasing artworks from Knoxville’s artists of the past. This approach is better aligned with KHP’s mission and provides an opportunity for visitors and residents to discover aspects of the city’s artistic heritage. Plus, colorful artworks add a greater vibrancy to downtown streetscapes than old photographs!
To get us started, City People awarded KHP a modest grant to wrap two initial traffic boxes which went on public display on Gay Street in August, 2017 featuring highly regarded local artists from the past, Catherine Wiley and Charles Krutch.
Les Amis: How did KMA and KHP join forces on this project?
PJ: Before we began, we consulted with David Butler, KMA’s Executive Director, about the general concept knowing that to be successful we would need help from KMA. David as immediately saw the potential for taking the museum’s treasures out of the museum and sharing them with the public on the city’s streets. KMA provided high resolution images of two initial paintings (by Wiley and Krutch as mentioned above) from its permanent exhibition, Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee. David’s staff at KMA has been wonderful to work with and we couldn’t have gotten this far without their generous time and support.
and Knoxville Sunsphere
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
Les Amis: Is the intent to honor all the artists whose works are displayed in Higher Ground?
PJ: Pivotal works from Higher Ground are certainly the cornerstone of Downtown Art Wraps, and so far KHP has installed 14 Downtown Art Wraps, the majority of which are pulled from that exhibition. However, we also feature several Knoxville artworks from other local collections, including McClung Museum, East Tennessee Historical Society, and the Knox County Public Library’s McClung Historical Collection.
As the initiative expands we hope to include as many of the Higher Ground artists as possible. However, several of the paintings included in Higher Ground are on loan to KMA or have some permission restrictions that we haven’t tackled yet. Gaining permission to use any artwork is crucially important to us all.
Artists from Higher Ground currently featured include:
Beauford Delaney
Catherine Wiley
Charles Krutch
Robert Birdwell
C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing
Rudolph Ingerle
Richard Clarke
Les Amis: Who is responsible for deciding whether artists and artworks from private collections are accepted for wraps?
PJ: KHP has created a portfolio of around 20 local artists from KMA and other collections for the program. Many of the artists have multiple artworks which we’ve included in the list. KMA Curator, Stephen Wicks, has also been very helpful in recommending several artworks from Higher Ground which are not currently on display since the exhibit changes from time to time.
In addition, KHP works with KMA and other collection managers to only select artworks where we have permission to include the art and can gain access to high resolution files which are needed to enlarge for the traffic boxes. Occasionally we need additional permissions from other individuals. In the case of Beauford Delaney’s artwork we also sought permission from Mr. Derek Spratley, court appointed administrator for the Beauford Delaney estate.
Les Amis: How are the locations for the wraps selected?
PJ: KHP is primarily focusing on the downtown core of the city which includes approximately 40 traffic boxes which can be wrapped within the central business improvement district’s defined “downtown” area. However, in 2019 KHP will work with the City of Knoxville to add four new Art Wraps beyond downtown on Magnolia Avenue as part of that particular streetscapes improvement project in East Knoxville.
(Beauford Delaney Wraps indicated by red arrows)
Screenshot from Knoxville History Project Web site
Les Amis: How long does it take to put a wrap into place once the artist and painting are agreed upon?
PJ: It may seem a straight forward process but some Art Wraps happen quickly, others take months because of delays with permissions for example. However, once we have the artist selected and high resolution artwork in hand it generally takes 2-3 of weeks to install. Steps include drafting the artist’s biography (featured on every box), locating an image of the artist (not always easy to find), and then submitting all the elements to the local company, Graphic Creations, to layout out the Art Wrap on the particular box.
Each traffic box has to be pre-measured before layout can begin. Many of the boxes are different in size and sometimes the boxes are wrapped on three or four sides. This is certainly not a cookie-cutter approach! We have learned that it’s quite a nuanced process, and we try to capture the most important elements of a painting, and where possible to include the artist’s signature in the wrap. Finally, before the wrap enters production, KHP shares the draft design with the sponsor. Installation usually takes two hours per box when the vinyl is ready.
Graphic Creations takes care, when applying the Art Wrap, not to impede air vents and hinges. They use heat to mold the vinyl securely on non-flat surfaces.
Les Amis: How are the wraps financed (municipal funds / corporate sponsors / private donations)?
PJ: KHP seeks financial sponsors for each wrap. To date, Downtown Art Wraps have been sponsored by local businesses, individuals, and organizations (eg. City People). Our attempt is to make them reasonably affordable and so sponsorships are between $1,500 and $1,750 each depending on the size of the traffic box. The revenue provides a source of income for KHP with at least a third of the fee covering production costs.
Les Amis: How easy / difficult has it been to interest the business community in sponsoring wraps?
About half of the Art Wraps have been funded through corporate support. One individual funded three boxes. Downtown Knoxville, the city’s central improvement district, funded three Art Wraps. So it has been a mixture of funding sources. We would like to see more corporations fund the program and help us fulfill our vision of completing 40 Downtown Art Wraps. It has been more difficult to interest the business community more than I thought it would be. Certainly, the response from individuals from the public have all been positive.
Les Amis: How are the wraps inaugurated?
PJ: KHP held a media event in August of 2017 to officially launch the Downtown Art Wraps program and showcase the first two boxes. (Is this what you meant?)
In addition to the first event, we have been featured on Visit Knoxville’s website:
https://www.visitknoxville.com/listings/downtown-art-wraps/1762/
We had an article featured in “Inside of Knoxville:”
https://insideofknoxville.com/2017/09/downtown-art-wraps-by-the-knoxville-history-project-appear-around-the-city/
Plus, we received a special “Preservation Media” award from one of our partners, Knox Heritage.
We haven’t planned an event for the Beauford Wraps yet but will let you know if we do so.
description and location of Yaddo
Les Amis: How are the wraps maintained?
PJ: KHP works directly with City of Knoxville’s Department of Engineering with installation and to monitor wear and tear, damage, and address graffiti issues. The vinyl includes a graffiti-resistant application, which although not 100% guaranteed, has worked very well so far. City engineers believe that the wraps act as a deterrent. In one case of graffiti, Graphic Creations (the installer) was able to clean off the graffiti quite easily. To date then it’s been fairly hassle-free.
Les Amis: How is a work by a particular artist selected to represent that artist?
PJ: The artworks are generally selected for their compatibility to be reproduced on a traffic box (abstract works work best) as well as their vibrancy and attractiveness in the urban setting. Plus, KHP works directly with its sponsors to help select a piece that they are inspired by from the full list of available works. In several cases, we have matched up an artist with a certain location, including a Lloyd Branson painting near where his former studio was located, or Albert Milani and his marble eagle carving across the street from the Tennessee Supreme Court building adorned with the actual eagle carvings. But the placement of traffic light intersections generally makes tying an artwork to a specific location quite difficult. That said, the Art Wraps seems to work anywhere.
Les Amis: Why were the untitled landscape and Yaddo selected to represent Beauford Delaney?
PJ: These paintings were suggested by KMA as excellent examples of Beauford’s works recently acquired by the museum.
Les Amis: Untitled Landscape is sponsored by the Knoxville Central Business Improvement District. Who sponsored Yaddo?
Image courtesy of Knoxville History Project
PJ: Yaddo was sponsored by residents at the RiverHill Gateway Neighborhood Association who were looking for creative ways to spruce up their street frontage. Diversity was important to them as that location was formerly a diverse and poor riverside shanty community. Just north of there was a section of the former African American community along First Creek – essentially erased during “Urban Renewal” in the 1950s. A Beauford Delaney painting at this location made sense.
Les Amis: Are there any other Beauford Delaney art wraps planned?
PJ: Not immediately but there is at least one more Beauford Delaney painting that we have included in our current selections which may be used in the Magnolia Avenue Art Wraps planned for mid-2019.
Les Amis: What happens to the wraps after their ~3-year lifespan expires?
PJ: Depending on wear and tear, and fading, the Art Wraps may be left up longer or switched out for different artworks with existing or new sponsors. The initiative can therefore run for years, if not indefinitely.
Auction Results Exceed Expectations: Ahmed Bioud's Beauford Delaney Collection
ADER's sale of 9 lots of Beauford Delaney works from the collection of Ahmed Bioud exceeded the expectations of the auction house!
Jazz Band was the only oil on canvas among the works offered. ADER estimated the sale price as 15,000€ - 20,000€.
Jazz Band
(1965) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated on back
81 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This work fetched 134,000€.
Composition, 1962, an oil on paper, was estimated to sell for 3,000€ - 4,000€.
Composition, 1962
(1962) Oil on paper
Signed and dated at bottom right
50 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 17,920€.
The mixed-media work entitled Composition, 1962 was assigned an estimated sale price of 2,000€ - 3,000€.
Composition, 1962
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
74 x 53.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 14,080€.
Composition, 1963, a watercolor, sold for over five times the high end of the estimated sale price range (7680€ versus 1500€).
Composition, 1963
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
And the gouache entitled Composition, 1964 sold for 8320€, while its estimated sale price was 1,000€ - 1,500€.
Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
55 x 37 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The other four works also went for handsome prices, including Lot 78 - a gouache that sold for twelve times the highest estimated sale price.
To see all the results, click HERE All sale prices include a buyer's premium of 28%.
Jazz Band was the only oil on canvas among the works offered. ADER estimated the sale price as 15,000€ - 20,000€.
(1965) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated on back
81 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This work fetched 134,000€.
Composition, 1962, an oil on paper, was estimated to sell for 3,000€ - 4,000€.
(1962) Oil on paper
Signed and dated at bottom right
50 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 17,920€.
The mixed-media work entitled Composition, 1962 was assigned an estimated sale price of 2,000€ - 3,000€.
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
74 x 53.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sold for 14,080€.
Composition, 1963, a watercolor, sold for over five times the high end of the estimated sale price range (7680€ versus 1500€).
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
And the gouache entitled Composition, 1964 sold for 8320€, while its estimated sale price was 1,000€ - 1,500€.
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
55 x 37 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The other four works also went for handsome prices, including Lot 78 - a gouache that sold for twelve times the highest estimated sale price.
To see all the results, click HERE All sale prices include a buyer's premium of 28%.
Ahmed Bioud's Beauford Delaney Collection at Auction
Ahmed Bioud became one of Beauford's dearest friends after their meeting at Beauford's solo show at Galerie Paul Facchetti in June 1960. Beauford came to know Bioud's family as well and the Biouds would often invite him to dine with them or to join them when they traveled.
Beauford sketching in Ahmed Bioud's garden
Images courtesy of ADER
Bioud organized the sale of Beauford's Mémoire (1964) to the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, Switzerland and ultimately was named one of the members of the tutelle that the French government organized to look after Beauford's affairs when he was at Sainte-Anne's Hospital.
In light of this close relationship, it is not surprising that Bioud would own several of Beauford's paintings. The Paris auction house ADER has nine Beauford Delaney works from his collection listed for sale during its upcoming Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 12, 2018.
See a few of them below:
Jazz Band
(1965) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated on back
81 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 15,000€ - 20,000€
Composition, 1962
(1962) Oil on paper
Signed and dated at bottom right
50 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 3,000€ - 4,000€
Composition, 1962
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
74 x 53.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 2,000€ - 3,000€
Composition, 1963
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 1,200€ - 1,500€
Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
55 x 37 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 1,000€ - 1,500€
The dates for the nine works range from 1962 to 1966, which means that Beauford produced them while he was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio.
To view all the Beauford Delaney paintings for sale (Lots 71-79) and to learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.
Images courtesy of ADER
Bioud organized the sale of Beauford's Mémoire (1964) to the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne, Switzerland and ultimately was named one of the members of the tutelle that the French government organized to look after Beauford's affairs when he was at Sainte-Anne's Hospital.
In light of this close relationship, it is not surprising that Bioud would own several of Beauford's paintings. The Paris auction house ADER has nine Beauford Delaney works from his collection listed for sale during its upcoming Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 12, 2018.
See a few of them below:
(1965) Oil on canvas
Signed and dated on back
81 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 15,000€ - 20,000€
(1962) Oil on paper
Signed and dated at bottom right
50 x 65 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 3,000€ - 4,000€
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
74 x 53.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 2,000€ - 3,000€
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 1,200€ - 1,500€
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
55 x 37 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 1,000€ - 1,500€
The dates for the nine works range from 1962 to 1966, which means that Beauford produced them while he was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio.
To view all the Beauford Delaney paintings for sale (Lots 71-79) and to learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.