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January 1957 - Battling the Voices of Despair
"Painting is tremendously physical and vital and naturally calls for all your mental and physical strength and devotion."
Beauford wrote these words to his friend Larry Wallrich in a letter dated January 8, 1957.
In the same letter, he wrote that he had been withdrawn for the past several months and wanted "somehow to even withdraw more, as deep introspection and [the] search for me is vitally necessary."
This information comes from David Leeming's biography, Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
. Leeming reports that Beauford suffered an emotional crisis involving the resurfacing of his "inner voices of despair" at the end of 1956 and disappeared for several days. When it passed, he returned to painting "with new energy."
1957 was the year that Beauford produced what I consider to be his most masterful abstract expressionist work. Untitled (1957) is part of the Centre Pompidou collection and was displayed during Multiple Modernities 1905-1970 exhibition (also called Plural Modalities) at the museum from October 2013 to January 2015.
Monique and Beauford's Untitled
(1957) Oil on canvas
114,2 x 162 cm / 44.9 x 63.8 in
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo © Discover Paris!
Signature for Beauford's Untitled
(1957) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo © Discover Paris!
More recently, it was loaned to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain for the exhibition Lost, Loose, and Loved: Foreign Artists 1944-1968, which ran from November 20, 2018 through April 22, 2019.
Untitled (second painting from left) at
Lost, Loose, and Loved: Foreign Artists 1944-1968
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
Screenshot from Lost, Loose, and Loved video
This painting is likely as wide as Beauford was tall. The juxtaposition of colors and the richness of textures are stunning. One can easily imagine the "mental and physical strength and devotion" it took for him to create this work.
Photos of Beauford with Untitled and Untitled
Private collection
Beauford wrote these words to his friend Larry Wallrich in a letter dated January 8, 1957.
In the same letter, he wrote that he had been withdrawn for the past several months and wanted "somehow to even withdraw more, as deep introspection and [the] search for me is vitally necessary."
This information comes from David Leeming's biography, Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
. Leeming reports that Beauford suffered an emotional crisis involving the resurfacing of his "inner voices of despair" at the end of 1956 and disappeared for several days. When it passed, he returned to painting "with new energy."1957 was the year that Beauford produced what I consider to be his most masterful abstract expressionist work. Untitled (1957) is part of the Centre Pompidou collection and was displayed during Multiple Modernities 1905-1970 exhibition (also called Plural Modalities) at the museum from October 2013 to January 2015.
Monique and Beauford's Untitled
(1957) Oil on canvas
114,2 x 162 cm / 44.9 x 63.8 in
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo © Discover Paris!
(1957) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo © Discover Paris!
More recently, it was loaned to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain for the exhibition Lost, Loose, and Loved: Foreign Artists 1944-1968, which ran from November 20, 2018 through April 22, 2019.
Lost, Loose, and Loved: Foreign Artists 1944-1968
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
Screenshot from Lost, Loose, and Loved video
This painting is likely as wide as Beauford was tall. The juxtaposition of colors and the richness of textures are stunning. One can easily imagine the "mental and physical strength and devotion" it took for him to create this work.
Private collection
1964 Abstract Sold at ADER Nordmann Auction
LES AMIS DE BEAUFORD DELANEY!
The Paris auction house ADER Nordmann sold a Beauford Delaney work on paper during its Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 13, 2019.
Lot 60 is a predominantly green gouache dated 1964. It may have been one of ten abstract gouaches that Beauford showed in the Copenhagen exhibition called 10 American Negro Artists.
(1964) Gouache
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom left
75 x 56 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This piece sold for 8320€, including 28% taxes and charges. The estimated sale price was 3,000€ - 4,000€.
A second abstract by Beauford remained unsold.
To learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.
So Splendid a Journey at the English-language Library in Angers
Robert and Annette Bonnell help organize the U.S. Embassy-supported Speaker Series for the English-language Library in Angers. I was ever so pleased when they asked me to participate in the series and were then able to confirm that I could make a presentation about Beauford and So Splendid a Journey for their last event in 2019!
Despite the chaos that reigns due to the nationwide transit strike, Tom and I were able to board the 6:37 train from Paris' Gare Montparnasse to Angers on the morning of December 13. We were even lucky enough to catch a bus to the train station.
We had a comfortable ride to Angers, a town in western France that is about 190 miles from Paris. We arrived just after dawn. It was our first visit there and we appreciated the architecture and the gentle slopes of the city as we made our way to the library on foot.
Place de la Gare, Angers
© Entrée to Black Paris
Monique in front of the English-language Library in Angers
© Entrée to Black Paris
We were greeted warmly by Phoebe Marshall-Raimbeau, who has been director of the library since it was founded in 1993.
Phoebe Marshall-Raimbeau
© Entrée to Black Paris
After all the technical aspects of the presentation were checked and re-checked, I played the video trailer for So Splendid a Journey.
Playing the video trailer
Image courtesy of Annette Bonnell
Robert Bonnell introduced me, and I gave my talk to the gathering of about 45 persons, most of whom were French!
Introduction by Robert Bonnell
© Entrée to Black Paris
I began by presenting why I care about Beauford, went on to give an overview of his life in Paris and a review of the evolution of his art, and finished by citing the numerous events and activities that preserve and promote his legacy.
After the presentation, a lively Q&A period ensued. I was able to demonstrate the Blippar Augmented Reality app in the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog as one of the means through which Beauford's legacy is being extended.
Demonstrating Blippar for members of the audience
© Entrée to Black Paris
So Splendid a Journey will be the first full-length video documentary that answers the question, "Who was Beauford Delaney"? To support the completion of the video, which we aim to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2020, click HERE.
Bibliothèque Anglophone d'Angers
English-language Library in Angers
60, rue Boisnet
49100 Angers
Tel: 02.41.24.97.07
Website: www.ellia.org
Despite the chaos that reigns due to the nationwide transit strike, Tom and I were able to board the 6:37 train from Paris' Gare Montparnasse to Angers on the morning of December 13. We were even lucky enough to catch a bus to the train station.
We had a comfortable ride to Angers, a town in western France that is about 190 miles from Paris. We arrived just after dawn. It was our first visit there and we appreciated the architecture and the gentle slopes of the city as we made our way to the library on foot.
© Entrée to Black Paris
© Entrée to Black Paris
We were greeted warmly by Phoebe Marshall-Raimbeau, who has been director of the library since it was founded in 1993.
© Entrée to Black Paris
After all the technical aspects of the presentation were checked and re-checked, I played the video trailer for So Splendid a Journey.
Image courtesy of Annette Bonnell
Robert Bonnell introduced me, and I gave my talk to the gathering of about 45 persons, most of whom were French!
© Entrée to Black Paris
I began by presenting why I care about Beauford, went on to give an overview of his life in Paris and a review of the evolution of his art, and finished by citing the numerous events and activities that preserve and promote his legacy.
After the presentation, a lively Q&A period ensued. I was able to demonstrate the Blippar Augmented Reality app in the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog as one of the means through which Beauford's legacy is being extended.
© Entrée to Black Paris
So Splendid a Journey will be the first full-length video documentary that answers the question, "Who was Beauford Delaney"? To support the completion of the video, which we aim to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2020, click HERE.
Bibliothèque Anglophone d'Angers
English-language Library in Angers
60, rue Boisnet
49100 Angers
Tel: 02.41.24.97.07
Website: www.ellia.org
10-year Anniversary of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney Blog
On Monday, 14 December 2009, I published the first blog post for Les Amis de Beauford Delaney:
Welcome!
What an amazing 10-year run we've had!
From raising the money for Beauford's tombstone
Tombstone Inscription
© Discover Paris!
to placing two commemorative plaques on façades in Montparnasse
Hôtel Odessa plaque
© Discover Paris!
Les Mille Colonnes plaque
© Discover Paris!
to working with the Wells International Foundation to mount the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition,
Catalog cover for Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
and more, Les Amis has done its utmost to preserve and extend Beauford's legacy. I'm proud to say that we have an excellent track record in this regard and that we have no intention of stopping now!
After supporting the recent and successful reading performance of the play Amazing Grace Is Yellow, we are placing all our efforts behind the completion of the full-length video documentary So Splendid a Journey. The trailer was screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the goal is to screen the completed documentary at Cannes in May 2020.
So Splendid a Journey represents the best opportunity to create global awareness of Beauford's tremendous impact as an artist and a human being. To be a part of this inimitable legacy, click on the link below and give to support this production!
Cannes Screening for Beauford Delaney Documentary
Beauford Delaney
1953 - Photo by Carl Van Vechten
Welcome!
What an amazing 10-year run we've had!
From raising the money for Beauford's tombstone
© Discover Paris!
to placing two commemorative plaques on façades in Montparnasse
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
to working with the Wells International Foundation to mount the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition,
and more, Les Amis has done its utmost to preserve and extend Beauford's legacy. I'm proud to say that we have an excellent track record in this regard and that we have no intention of stopping now!
After supporting the recent and successful reading performance of the play Amazing Grace Is Yellow, we are placing all our efforts behind the completion of the full-length video documentary So Splendid a Journey. The trailer was screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the goal is to screen the completed documentary at Cannes in May 2020.
So Splendid a Journey represents the best opportunity to create global awareness of Beauford's tremendous impact as an artist and a human being. To be a part of this inimitable legacy, click on the link below and give to support this production!
Cannes Screening for Beauford Delaney Documentary
1953 - Photo by Carl Van Vechten
Two Beauford Delaney Abstracts Up for Auction at ADER Nordmann
The Paris auction house ADER Nordmann has two Beauford Delaney works on paper listed for sale during its upcoming Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 13, 2019.
Both date from Beauford's Paris years and were likely created at his rue Vercingétorix studio.
The red and black aquarelle shown below (Lot 59) is dated December 1962. It is somewhat reminiscent of a black and white aquarelle from 1963 that ADER sold at auction last year.
Composition, 1962
(1962) Watercolor
Signed and dated at bottom left
63 x 48 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 4,000€ - 6,000€
Photo courtesy of ADER
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
Both works may have been part of series of watercolors that Beauford created during 1962-63, through which he experimented with the coalescence of pigments.
Lot 60 is a predominantly green gouache dated 1964. It may have been one of ten abstract gouaches that Beauford showed in the Copenhagen exhibition called 10 American Negro Artists.
Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom left
75 x 56 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 3,000€ - 4,000€
To learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.
Both date from Beauford's Paris years and were likely created at his rue Vercingétorix studio.
The red and black aquarelle shown below (Lot 59) is dated December 1962. It is somewhat reminiscent of a black and white aquarelle from 1963 that ADER sold at auction last year.
(1962) Watercolor
Signed and dated at bottom left
63 x 48 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 4,000€ - 6,000€
Photo courtesy of ADER
(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
Both works may have been part of series of watercolors that Beauford created during 1962-63, through which he experimented with the coalescence of pigments.
Lot 60 is a predominantly green gouache dated 1964. It may have been one of ten abstract gouaches that Beauford showed in the Copenhagen exhibition called 10 American Negro Artists.
(1964) Gouache
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom left
75 x 56 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 3,000€ - 4,000€
To learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.
Beauford's Thanksgiving - 1966
In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, biographer David Leeming reports that James Baldwin came to Paris to spend Thanksgiving with Beauford in 1966. Beauford was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio at the time, and this is where Baldwin would have visited him.
Beauford painted two portraits of Baldwin in 1966, both of which he began during his stay with his dear friend in Istanbul that summer. He completed the one shown below at the Vercingétorix studio.
James Baldwin
(1966) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Les Amis hopes you're spending this Thanksgiving weekend with loved ones, be they family or friends!
, biographer David Leeming reports that James Baldwin came to Paris to spend Thanksgiving with Beauford in 1966. Beauford was living at his rue Vercingétorix studio at the time, and this is where Baldwin would have visited him.Beauford painted two portraits of Baldwin in 1966, both of which he began during his stay with his dear friend in Istanbul that summer. He completed the one shown below at the Vercingétorix studio.
(1966) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Les Amis hopes you're spending this Thanksgiving weekend with loved ones, be they family or friends!
Beauford-inspired Art Lessons
Since January 2018, the Classes Duo Paris/Knoxville program has brought 7- to 10-year-old students at Jean Zay Elementary School in Paris, France and Nature's Way Montessori School in Knoxville, Tennessee together to learn each other's language and explore each other's culture through the lens of Beauford's life and work.
In the process, the students from both schools have created an amazing body of artwork. Several pieces have been publicly displayed in exhibitions in Paris and Knoxville:
Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville - Knoxville students' excursion to Paris a HUGE success! - Part 1
Jean Zay works inspired by untitled abstract
© Wells International Foundation
Student-Parent Reception for Classes Duo Art Exhibition at KMA
Nature's Way student portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Image courtesy of Mary Campbell
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney is not the only organization that uses Beauford's œuvre as an educational tool. Individual teachers, school districts, philanthropic organizations, and prestigious art institutions have included his work in exercises and programs for educators and students for more than two decades.
In 2018, I found a lesson plan for 5th graders published online by Knox County Schools entitled "The Harlem Renaissance - Beauford Delaney Self-portraits." Teachers using this lesson plan were instructed to have their students "use pencils and colored pencils to create simple self portraits that show symmetry and personality through exaggerated features.
In 2017, the Knoxville, TN chapter of The Links, Incorporated organized and implemented a pilot project to introduce Beauford's art to a local public elementary school:
Beauford's Art Inspires Knoxville Elementary School Students
Arts Night display wall
Image courtesy of The Links Incorporated, Knoxville Chapter
The artwork of participating students was shown at the Knoxville Museum of Art:
"Bringing Delaney Home" at the Knoxville Museum of Art
In 2014, I published a blog post about a crossword puzzle created by Alicia L. McDaniel to introduce 6th to 11th grade students to Beauford's work:
Beauford Delaney Crossword Puzzle
In 2013, the Studio Museum in Harlem hosted a Teaching and Learning Workshop for K-12 Educators that focused on experimental painting techniques. Educators were invited to the museum to "enjoy a fun, inspiring gallery tour" to "... discuss works of art with colleagues, create artwork in a hands-on workshop, and discover strategies for implementation in the classroom." They created work "inspired by Brothers and Sisters, an exhibition that examines a selection of abstract paintings by Beauford Delaney and artists in the museum's permanent collection."
In 1993, an article entitled "Four Self-Portraits" by Esther E. Grisham was published in Art Education. At the time, Grisham was the Teacher Workshop Coordinator for the Department of Museum Education at the Art Institute of Chicago. Beauford's 1944 self-portrait is on permanent display at this museum.
Self-portrait
(1944) Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
By permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Grisham asks the following questions in her article (among others):
She goes on to suggest three classroom activities for teachers:
She also invites teachers to ask their students to compare Beauford's self-portrait to that of Vincent Van Gogh.
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and the Wells International Foundation continue to pursue and share information about opportunities to educate and inspire educators and students through Beauford's art. If you know of projects or programs that do so, send details to me by e-mail at .
In the process, the students from both schools have created an amazing body of artwork. Several pieces have been publicly displayed in exhibitions in Paris and Knoxville:
Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville - Knoxville students' excursion to Paris a HUGE success! - Part 1
© Wells International Foundation
Student-Parent Reception for Classes Duo Art Exhibition at KMA
Image courtesy of Mary Campbell
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney is not the only organization that uses Beauford's œuvre as an educational tool. Individual teachers, school districts, philanthropic organizations, and prestigious art institutions have included his work in exercises and programs for educators and students for more than two decades.
In 2018, I found a lesson plan for 5th graders published online by Knox County Schools entitled "The Harlem Renaissance - Beauford Delaney Self-portraits." Teachers using this lesson plan were instructed to have their students "use pencils and colored pencils to create simple self portraits that show symmetry and personality through exaggerated features.
In 2017, the Knoxville, TN chapter of The Links, Incorporated organized and implemented a pilot project to introduce Beauford's art to a local public elementary school:
Beauford's Art Inspires Knoxville Elementary School Students
Image courtesy of The Links Incorporated, Knoxville Chapter
The artwork of participating students was shown at the Knoxville Museum of Art:
"Bringing Delaney Home" at the Knoxville Museum of Art
In 2014, I published a blog post about a crossword puzzle created by Alicia L. McDaniel to introduce 6th to 11th grade students to Beauford's work:
Beauford Delaney Crossword Puzzle
In 2013, the Studio Museum in Harlem hosted a Teaching and Learning Workshop for K-12 Educators that focused on experimental painting techniques. Educators were invited to the museum to "enjoy a fun, inspiring gallery tour" to "... discuss works of art with colleagues, create artwork in a hands-on workshop, and discover strategies for implementation in the classroom." They created work "inspired by Brothers and Sisters, an exhibition that examines a selection of abstract paintings by Beauford Delaney and artists in the museum's permanent collection."
In 1993, an article entitled "Four Self-Portraits" by Esther E. Grisham was published in Art Education. At the time, Grisham was the Teacher Workshop Coordinator for the Department of Museum Education at the Art Institute of Chicago. Beauford's 1944 self-portrait is on permanent display at this museum.
(1944) Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
By permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Grisham asks the following questions in her article (among others):
"What kind of expression is Delaney making in this self-portrait?"
"How do the colors and lines help to describe the artist' mood?"
She goes on to suggest three classroom activities for teachers:
A. Ask students to make a list of as many adjectives that they can think of to describe themselves.
B. Using words from their lists instead of lines, have students create a self-portrait concentrating on outlines.
C. Make outlines of students' bodies on plain paper and have students fill in their outlines with words from their lists...
She also invites teachers to ask their students to compare Beauford's self-portrait to that of Vincent Van Gogh.
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and the Wells International Foundation continue to pursue and share information about opportunities to educate and inspire educators and students through Beauford's art. If you know of projects or programs that do so, send details to me by e-mail at .
All That Jazz
Last week's post on "Beauford at the 'L'Age du Jazz' exhibition" inspired me to look at all the works published on this blog that have the word "jazz" in the title. I have regrouped them below. Enjoy!
Jazz Quartet
(1946) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Burt and Patricia Reinfrank
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Jazz concert in the old synagogue, Lower East Side, New York
(ca. 1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled (Jazz Club)
(c.1950) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Jazz Band
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1946) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Burt and Patricia Reinfrank
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(ca. 1946) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(c.1950) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1965) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Jazz
(1966) Oil on canvas
French Embassy of Taipai, Taiwan
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of France's Fonds national d'art contemporain
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of France's Fonds national d'art contemporain
Beauford at the 1967 "L'Age du Jazz" exhibition
In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, biographer David Leeming reports that "In November the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in France bought a Delaney painting entitled Jazz from 'L'Age du Jazz' exhibition."
This show was held at the Palais Galliera, which is also known as the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris. It ran from April 29 to May 24, 1967.
Palais Galliera
Image in the public domain
I was fortunate to find the catalog for the exhibition at the Centre Pompidou's Kandinsky library, but was disappointed to see that it is a small publication and that with the exception of the cover, it is printed in black and white.
Catalog cover for L'Age du Jazz exhibition
© Discover Paris!
The names of the artists whose works were shown at the exhibition are printed in alphabetical order and I quickly found the page where names beginning with the letter "D" were printed. Beauford is not mentioned on this page.
I found his name on the last page of the catalog, under the header "Addendum." It gives Beauford's information as follows:
BEAUFORD-DELANEY
né en 1910 [sic] à Knoxville, Tennessee chanteur de blues [sic]
Portrait. huile sur toile 1965
The entry does not include a photo of the work he contributed.
Despite the errors in Beauford's listing, the description of the work (blues singer, portrait, 1965 oil on canvas) is evocative of Beauford's portrait of Marian Anderson, which is now part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' permanent collection.
Marian Anderson
(1965) Oil on canvas
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
J. Harwood and Louise B. Cochrane Fund for American Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
A second listing under "Addendum" in the catalog attributes Jazz to another artist.
Interestingly, a dossier compiled in 2010 by the Fonds national d'art contemporain on Beauford Delaney works owned by the French government mentions "Portrait of Marian Anderson" as though it might be part of the title ofJazz, but only presents an image and details for Jazz.
Given this tangled web of circumstances, it is tempting to speculate that Beauford's Portrait of Marian Anderson was shown at the Palais Galliera during l'Age du Jazz!
, biographer David Leeming reports that "In November the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in France bought a Delaney painting entitled Jazz from 'L'Age du Jazz' exhibition."Jazz
(1966) Oil on canvas
French Embassy of Taipai, Taiwan
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of France's Fonds national d'art contemporain
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo courtesy of France's Fonds national d'art contemporain
This show was held at the Palais Galliera, which is also known as the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris. It ran from April 29 to May 24, 1967.
Image in the public domain
I was fortunate to find the catalog for the exhibition at the Centre Pompidou's Kandinsky library, but was disappointed to see that it is a small publication and that with the exception of the cover, it is printed in black and white.
© Discover Paris!
The names of the artists whose works were shown at the exhibition are printed in alphabetical order and I quickly found the page where names beginning with the letter "D" were printed. Beauford is not mentioned on this page.
I found his name on the last page of the catalog, under the header "Addendum." It gives Beauford's information as follows:
BEAUFORD-DELANEY
né en 1910 [sic] à Knoxville, Tennessee chanteur de blues [sic]
Portrait. huile sur toile 1965
The entry does not include a photo of the work he contributed.
Despite the errors in Beauford's listing, the description of the work (blues singer, portrait, 1965 oil on canvas) is evocative of Beauford's portrait of Marian Anderson, which is now part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' permanent collection.
(1965) Oil on canvas
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
J. Harwood and Louise B. Cochrane Fund for American Art
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
A second listing under "Addendum" in the catalog attributes Jazz to another artist.
Interestingly, a dossier compiled in 2010 by the Fonds national d'art contemporain on Beauford Delaney works owned by the French government mentions "Portrait of Marian Anderson" as though it might be part of the title ofJazz, but only presents an image and details for Jazz.
Given this tangled web of circumstances, it is tempting to speculate that Beauford's Portrait of Marian Anderson was shown at the Palais Galliera during l'Age du Jazz!
Sounds of Sainte-Anne's Hospital
© Discover Paris!
I've published several posts about Sainte-Anne's Hospital on this blog. They include numerous photos of the buildings and grounds that comprised Beauford's "home" during the last four years of his life.
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 1
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 2
Beauford's Paris: Saint Anne's Hospital - Part 3
Sainte Anne's Hospital: An Oasis of Calm
Beauford in "Psychology and Art" - Part 2
Today, I'm pleased to share a link to a blog post that presents the sounds of Sainte-Anne's Hospital as well as a wonderful history of the institution. The article also presents lovely photos of the hospital.
Soundlandscapes' Blog - Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne
Soundlandscapes is the brilliant product of the passion of Des Coulam. For more information about him and his recordings of the sounds of Paris, click HERE.
at Sainte-Anne's Hospital, 1976
Photo by Max Petrus
Diana Isabel Jervis-Read Remembers Beauford
My dear friend, Almeta Speaks, introduced me to Diana Isabel Jervis-Read a few days ago, after Diana casually mentioned to Almeta that she knew Beauford during his Paris years. I learned that Diana is a Fellow of Great Britain's Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and that she met Beauford while working on a film project with James Baldwin. I immediately took the opportunity to ask Diana to grant me an interview about Beauford and she graciously agreed.
Diana Isabel Jervis-Read
Image courtesy of Diana Isabel Jervis-Read
Les Amis: When did you first meet Beauford?
DIJ-R: 1969 in Paris with James Baldwin and Bernard Hassell.
Les Amis: What were the circumstances?
DIJ-R: Jimmy was writing the dialogue for a family film I was involved with called YAO OF THE JUNGLE, which Quincy Jones and Ray Brown wrote the music for. I worked with the editor to make a rough cut and then Jimmy and I worked on this together in a cutting room off the Champs Elysées for very many weeks.
We spent all our time together and Beauford was with us on most evenings for very many weeks/months.
Les Amis: What was your first impression of Beauford and how did this change over time (if it did at all)?
DIJ-R: I adored smiley warm cuddly Beauford from the very first meeting. I found him extremely grandfatherly - and fun to talk to about many things and nothing. There was an inner peace in him for me. He was so sparkly and twinkly.
Les Amis: James Baldwin referred to Beauford as a cross between Brer Rabbit and St. Francis of Assisi. Would you describe him this way?
DIJ-R: Oh yes! James has the last word here - being a master of words which I am not!
Les Amis: Did Beauford have any artistic influence on you?
DIJ-R: I am not an artist but he opened my eyes to some artists I did not know, being in my early twenties.
Les Amis: What is your fondest memory of Beauford?
DIJ-R: Roaring around Paris in my friend Alain’s Mini with Jimmy in the front wrapped in a brightly coloured shawl his sister had brought from the Ivory Coast and Beauford and me sandwiched in the back.
Beauford, slightly dreamy and smiling benignly, somewhat knowingly about life.
And then meeting up with Bernard later for dinner at Fouquet’s or similar places.
Fouquet's signage - 1969
Fair use claim
Much merriment, eating and drinking - being a teetotaler at the time I was able to take everything in.
One night we were stopped by the gendarmes who were somewhat surprised to find a young, long-haired, chic hippy driving this assorted group - remembering that these were the list 1968 days when the street were lined with those big black police vans. After a few questions I suspect they thought we were altogether too much for them to cope with and they let us go - we were lucky. So many bad things happened then.
Les Amis: Are there any other thoughts that you'd like to share?
DIJ-R: I was honoured to have known, been friends with, worked with, and had fun with beloved Beauford, and James and Bernard.
Image courtesy of Diana Isabel Jervis-Read
Les Amis: When did you first meet Beauford?
DIJ-R: 1969 in Paris with James Baldwin and Bernard Hassell.
Les Amis: What were the circumstances?
DIJ-R: Jimmy was writing the dialogue for a family film I was involved with called YAO OF THE JUNGLE, which Quincy Jones and Ray Brown wrote the music for. I worked with the editor to make a rough cut and then Jimmy and I worked on this together in a cutting room off the Champs Elysées for very many weeks.
We spent all our time together and Beauford was with us on most evenings for very many weeks/months.
Les Amis: What was your first impression of Beauford and how did this change over time (if it did at all)?
DIJ-R: I adored smiley warm cuddly Beauford from the very first meeting. I found him extremely grandfatherly - and fun to talk to about many things and nothing. There was an inner peace in him for me. He was so sparkly and twinkly.
Les Amis: James Baldwin referred to Beauford as a cross between Brer Rabbit and St. Francis of Assisi. Would you describe him this way?
DIJ-R: Oh yes! James has the last word here - being a master of words which I am not!
Les Amis: Did Beauford have any artistic influence on you?
DIJ-R: I am not an artist but he opened my eyes to some artists I did not know, being in my early twenties.
Les Amis: What is your fondest memory of Beauford?
DIJ-R: Roaring around Paris in my friend Alain’s Mini with Jimmy in the front wrapped in a brightly coloured shawl his sister had brought from the Ivory Coast and Beauford and me sandwiched in the back.
Beauford, slightly dreamy and smiling benignly, somewhat knowingly about life.
And then meeting up with Bernard later for dinner at Fouquet’s or similar places.
Fair use claim
Much merriment, eating and drinking - being a teetotaler at the time I was able to take everything in.
One night we were stopped by the gendarmes who were somewhat surprised to find a young, long-haired, chic hippy driving this assorted group - remembering that these were the list 1968 days when the street were lined with those big black police vans. After a few questions I suspect they thought we were altogether too much for them to cope with and they let us go - we were lucky. So many bad things happened then.
Les Amis: Are there any other thoughts that you'd like to share?
DIJ-R: I was honoured to have known, been friends with, worked with, and had fun with beloved Beauford, and James and Bernard.
Amazing Grace Is Yellow - A Great Success!
Center: Book cover for Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
by David Leeming
Right: Portrait of Beauford Delaney, (1973) Errol Sawyer
Well over 100 persons braved the damp drizzle that fell on Paris Wednesday evening to come out to Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall on Wednesday evening, October 16. They came to see the reading performance of Amazing Grace Is Yellow, the 3-act play written by Silver Wainhouse about painter Beauford Delaney.
© Entrée to Black Paris
The cast and playwright / director Silver Wainhouse gathered early for a final rehearsal in the Grande Salle, the room where the reading took place.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Anticipation built among the cast as the room began to fill. Even after additional chairs were brought in to accommodate attendees, there were still people standing at the back of the room when the reading began.
Attendees from as far away as London came to see the performance.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Director Wainhouse read the stage directions for each act and scene from a podium next to the stage and the members of the cast read their parts. The six performers read a total of 14 character parts, with Patrick Rameau reading only the lines for Beauford Delaney.
© Entrée to Black Paris
The audience was captivated as the biographically-inspired story of Beauford's life unfolded before them. At the end of the performance, they gave the actors and Wainhouse a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes.
Wainhouse then shared some "behind the scenes" anecdotes about the production and she and I expressed our thanks to the donors who adopted characters in the play.
© Entrée to Black Paris
After the reading, attendees, cast, and production team mingled during a reception sponsored by Mary Duncan, Paris Writers Group.
Images © Entrée to Black Paris
Long time Paris resident and Beauford aficionado, Joseph Langley, gifted Wainhouse with one of his artistic creations – a pastel called Victory, in celebration of the success of the production.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to the reading, work will soon begin on the full stage production of the play.
To view a photo album for Amazing Grace Is Yellow, click HERE.
All donors were publicly acknowledged in slides that were presented on the screen prior to the event and during the reception. To view their names, click HERE.
Thanks to the supporters of Amazing Grace Is Yellow!
MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO SUPPORTED
THE OCTOBER 16, 2019 READING OF
AMAZING GRACE IS YELLOW!
Mary Duncan – Beauford Delaney
Marie F. Branch – Mama (Delia Delaney)
Wanderlust Driven – James (Jimmy) Baldwin
Patrick Tyrance, M.D. – Leroy Cooper
Vanessa Hulme – Mary Cooper
Clydette and Charles de Groot – Mrs. Bryant and Mrs. Sparrow
Kathie Foley-Meyer – Landlady
our venues and other production costs
(listed in alphabetical order):
Diane Anthony
Cecilia Garrec
Ellen Hervé
Deborah Holmes, M.D.
Kelly Inselmann
Lizetta LaFalle-Collins
Tee Ming Ooi
Kathleen St. Thomas
Ricki Stevenson
Bob Tomlinson
Arnell Wells
Mary Duncan, Paris Writers Group
for supporting our reception,
and to
Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall
for providing the magical space
in which the reading took place!
click on the button below to give!
~Silver Wainhouse
Swann Auction Galleries African American Fine Art Sale - Results Are in
Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale was held on October 8, 2019. All three Beauford Delaney works on paper that were available for purchase were sold.
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black) (Lot 39) sold for $10,000, including buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $10,000 - $15,000.
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black)
(Circa 1958-60) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x298 mm; 18x11 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed "Clamart" in ink, lower center
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
Lot 54, a predominantly green untitled work on paper dated 1962, sold for $10,000 with buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $8,000 - $12,000.
Untitled
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
640x490 mm; 25 1/4x19 1/4 inches
Signed and dated in ink, lower left.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
And No. 1, Yellow and Green (Lot 55) sold for $15,000, including buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $10,000 - $15,000.
No. 1, Yellow and Green
(1964) Gouache on Arches paper
762x572 mm; 30x22 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right.
Titled in pencil, lower left verso.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
Swann's buyer's premium for items sold at up to and including $100,000 is 25% of the purchase price.
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black) (Lot 39) sold for $10,000, including buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $10,000 - $15,000.
(Circa 1958-60) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x298 mm; 18x11 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed "Clamart" in ink, lower center
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
Lot 54, a predominantly green untitled work on paper dated 1962, sold for $10,000 with buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $8,000 - $12,000.
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
640x490 mm; 25 1/4x19 1/4 inches
Signed and dated in ink, lower left.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
And No. 1, Yellow and Green (Lot 55) sold for $15,000, including buyer's premium. The estimated sale price was $10,000 - $15,000.
(1964) Gouache on Arches paper
762x572 mm; 30x22 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right.
Titled in pencil, lower left verso.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
Swann's buyer's premium for items sold at up to and including $100,000 is 25% of the purchase price.
Three Beauford Delaney Works at Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale
It's that time again!
Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale is being held on October 8, 2019. Three Beauford Delaney works on paper are now available for purchase.
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black) was created when Beauford lived in Clamart. It comes from the original collection of James and Gloria Joyce, whom James Baldwin introduced to Beauford in July 1958. The Joyces would go on to commission several paintings from Beauford, including a portrait of James Joyce.
Lot 39
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black)
(Circa 1958-60) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x298 mm; 18x11 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed "Clamart" in ink, lower center
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
The predominantly green untitled work on paper that Swann has designated as Lot 54 was created during Beauford's first year at his studio on rue Vercingétorix. He experienced many ups and downs during this year, which was devoted to establishing a "new normal" after his suicide attempt and hospitalization in 1961.
Lot 54
Untitled
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
640x490 mm; 25 1/4x19 1/4 inches
Signed and dated in ink, lower left.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The third work dates from 1964. The provenance notation on Swann's Web site indicates that it is currently part of a private collection in London. From Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, we know that Beauford received a Fairfield Foundation grant of $3500 that began in 1964. His brother Emery visited him that summer, accompanied by wife Gertrude and daughter Imogene. And the year culminated with his one-man show at the Galerie Lambert on rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile.
Lot 55
No. 1, Yellow and Green
(1964) Gouache on Arches paper
762x572 mm; 30x22 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right.
Titled in pencil, lower left verso.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
For more information about the auction, click HERE.
Swann Auction Galleries' Fall African American Fine Art Sale is being held on October 8, 2019. Three Beauford Delaney works on paper are now available for purchase.
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black) was created when Beauford lived in Clamart. It comes from the original collection of James and Gloria Joyce, whom James Baldwin introduced to Beauford in July 1958. The Joyces would go on to commission several paintings from Beauford, including a portrait of James Joyce.
Untitled (Composition in Green, Red and Black)
(Circa 1958-60) Gouache and watercolor on Schollershammer paper
457x298 mm; 18x11 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed "Clamart" in ink, lower center
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
The predominantly green untitled work on paper that Swann has designated as Lot 54 was created during Beauford's first year at his studio on rue Vercingétorix. He experienced many ups and downs during this year, which was devoted to establishing a "new normal" after his suicide attempt and hospitalization in 1961.
Untitled
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
640x490 mm; 25 1/4x19 1/4 inches
Signed and dated in ink, lower left.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The third work dates from 1964. The provenance notation on Swann's Web site indicates that it is currently part of a private collection in London. From Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney
, we know that Beauford received a Fairfield Foundation grant of $3500 that began in 1964. His brother Emery visited him that summer, accompanied by wife Gertrude and daughter Imogene. And the year culminated with his one-man show at the Galerie Lambert on rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile. No. 1, Yellow and Green
(1964) Gouache on Arches paper
762x572 mm; 30x22 1/2 inches
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right.
Titled in pencil, lower left verso.
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
For more information about the auction, click HERE.
Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville Autumn 2019 Semester Is Underway
For the fourth consecutive semester, the Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville program is uniting elementary school students who are 7-10 years old at Jean Zay Elementary School in Paris and Nature's Way Montessori School in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Classes Duo is a collaboration between the Wells International Foundation (WIF) and the City of Paris' CASPE* administrative service. It is one of the many programs and projects that has emerged from the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition, which was held in Paris in 2016.
At its inception in January 2018, sixteen (16) students from Jean Zay and sixteen (16) students from Nature's Way began connecting via video conference to learn about each other's language and culture through Beauford's life and art. The Nature's Way students, along with their parents and Nature's Way educators, visited Paris last October to meet their French counterparts.
Today, half of the students from Nature's Way have left the program because they are now more than 10 years old or because they no longer attend the school. Eight students remain. Several Jean Zay students have left for similar reasons, and their slots have been filled with new students who are excited about joining the program.
The first art project that the students have undertaken is the recreation of Beauford's 1944 self-portrait, which hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago. This served to introduce the new Jean Zay students to Beauford's art as well as his story.
Self-portrait
(1944) Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
By permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Educator Juliette Blache reported that the bright colors and powerful brushstrokes in this painting inspired the students, who used watercolors to copy Beauford's self-portrait.
Recreating Beauford's 1944 self-portrait
Image courtesy of Juliette Blache
Student renditions of 1944 Self-portrait
Image courtesy of Juliette Blache
To see images of the Jean Zay students' individual works, click HERE.
To see images of the Nature's Way students' individual works, click HERE.
Among the additional lessons planned for this semester are a clay sculpting session and a sketching / painting session using photos of places in Knoxville and Paris that were important to Beauford coupled with a science lesson on how cameras work.
The impact of this groundbreaking educational program has been documented in a case study published in the September 2019 issue of the journal Theory and Practice in Language Studies. Read the article HERE.
Case Study in Theory and Practice in Language Studies
© Wells International Foundation
Everyone involved in Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville is looking forward to another extraordinary semester of learning and fun!
*CASPE - Circonscription des Affaires Scolaires et de la Petite Enfance
Classes Duo is a collaboration between the Wells International Foundation (WIF) and the City of Paris' CASPE* administrative service. It is one of the many programs and projects that has emerged from the Beauford Delaney: Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition, which was held in Paris in 2016.
At its inception in January 2018, sixteen (16) students from Jean Zay and sixteen (16) students from Nature's Way began connecting via video conference to learn about each other's language and culture through Beauford's life and art. The Nature's Way students, along with their parents and Nature's Way educators, visited Paris last October to meet their French counterparts.
Today, half of the students from Nature's Way have left the program because they are now more than 10 years old or because they no longer attend the school. Eight students remain. Several Jean Zay students have left for similar reasons, and their slots have been filled with new students who are excited about joining the program.
The first art project that the students have undertaken is the recreation of Beauford's 1944 self-portrait, which hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago. This served to introduce the new Jean Zay students to Beauford's art as well as his story.
(1944) Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
By permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Educator Juliette Blache reported that the bright colors and powerful brushstrokes in this painting inspired the students, who used watercolors to copy Beauford's self-portrait.
Image courtesy of Juliette Blache
Image courtesy of Juliette Blache
To see images of the Jean Zay students' individual works, click HERE.
To see images of the Nature's Way students' individual works, click HERE.
Among the additional lessons planned for this semester are a clay sculpting session and a sketching / painting session using photos of places in Knoxville and Paris that were important to Beauford coupled with a science lesson on how cameras work.
The impact of this groundbreaking educational program has been documented in a case study published in the September 2019 issue of the journal Theory and Practice in Language Studies. Read the article HERE.
© Wells International Foundation
Everyone involved in Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville is looking forward to another extraordinary semester of learning and fun!
*CASPE - Circonscription des Affaires Scolaires et de la Petite Enfance
Amazing Grace Is Yellow - The Cast
The play entitled Amazing Grace Is Yellow is the latest of an increasing number of projects and programs in the U.S. and France being organized to honor and extend Beauford's legacy. It will bring his life to the stage in three acts that follow him from Knoxville to Paris.
Playwright Silver Wainhouse asked award-winning writer Jake Lamar, a long-term Paris expat, to review the script and offer constructive criticism. Lamar’s response was as follows:
Congratulations on a beautiful and deeply moving work! I really have no critique to offer. I just can't wait to see actors bring this to life!
Because Lamar had his play, Brothers in Exile, read at a Paris theater a few years ago, and because he recently had a 10-part radio drama called Viper's Dream recorded for French radio, I asked him to help us identify professional performers who might be willing to participate in a reading of the play as a prelude to a full stage production. He came back with two recommendations - Patrick Rameau and Vanessa Dolmen. Dolmen generously shared the names of other actors who she thought would be good for the project.
As a result, the cast of Amazing Grace Is Yellow consists of professional actors and actresses who are active in stage and screen productions in France. Some are native Francophones with an excellent command of English. All were excited to learn about Delaney’s life and work and expressed bewilderment and frustration that they had never heard of him prior to becoming a part of the project.
The main characters in the play are Beauford; his mother, Delia; and his dear friend and mentee, James Baldwin. Eleven additional characters, real and fictional, round out the list of characters. For the reading, most of the performers will take on multiple roles.
The Cast and Director Silver Wainhouse
Front row: Audrey Mikondo, Silver Wainhouse, Edouard Chény
Back Row: JaQuincy Atkins, Vanessa Dolman, Patrick Rameau
© Silver Wainhouse
Patrick Rameau has been selected to portray Beauford. A professional actor for stage, screen, and television, his work has been seen all over the world. He is also a playwright - his work entitled ROSARIES has been produced Off Broadway. His latest film script, The Fall, is currently in pre-production phase. Patrick is especially proud of his school, Actor without Borders, which opens in Paris this fall with the first rehearsal workshop of Othello.
Patrick Rameau
© Entrée to Black Paris
Vanessa Dolmen will portray a fictional character who Beauford meets on the train to Boston and the Harlem landlady who robbed Beauford of his possessions and money on his first day in New York City. She recently finished a run in the Paris musical production Maya, Une Voix about the late, great Maya Angelou. After obtaining a master's degree in English, Vanessa briefly imagined herself as an English teacher but her true calling got in the way! She has performed in the award-winning short film Barbara, several feature films, and several radio dramas, including Jake Lamar's Viper's Dream.
Vanessa Dolmen
© Entrée to Black Paris
Audrey Mikondo, also from the cast of Maya, Une Voix, will read the roles of Mrs. Sparrow, a black society matron who introduced Beauford to many prominent African Americans in pre-Depression Boston, and Delia Delaney, Beauford's mother. Audrey is a French actress who worked in communications before deciding to pursue acting. She studied theater in English and in French at Cours Florent, culminating with several performances at the Théatre des Bouffes du Nord in Pais. She recently co-created Cygnet Theatre, an English-speaking theater company that will present its third production, Much Ado about Nothing, at the end of the month at the beautiful Jardin des Arènes de Montmartre in Paris.
Audrey Mikondo
© Entrée to Black Paris
Edouard Chény will recreate James (Jimmy) Baldwin and will also read the roles of a man at the New York boarding house and a fictional character that Beauford converses with in a Paris café. As an artist, he is always looking to get involved in inspiring projects. His goal as an actor is to serve great stories and impact people on a big scale. He says that faith, authenticity and love are the words he tries to live by every single day.
Edouard Chény
© Entrée to Black Paris
JaQuincy Atkins will portray a fictional character whom Beauford meets on the train to Boston (this character and the one portrayed by Vanessa Dolmen are husband and wife). Additionally, he will portray as another fictional character that Beauford meets in a Paris café and a patient at Sainte-Anne's Hospital, where Beauford spent the last four years of his life. He is a graceful presence embodying light shining outward. Those who surround him can feel his warm, humble spirit and bright smile. With the gift of creativity, he strives to remind those with passions to express love and humility.
JaQuincy Atkins
© Entrée to Black Paris
Chény and Atkins model as well as act. Hailing from Los Angeles, Atkins is the only U.S.-born actor in the group.
Inspired by playwright Wainhouse's opening exercise during the first rehearsal, which required everyone to give a brief introduction of themselves and state a single word that described their feelings about participating in the reading, a bond quickly formed among the actors.
Playwright Silver Wainhouse
© Entrée to Black Paris
Emotions ran high several times as the story unfolded and the actors settled into their parts. If the energy generated during the rehearsal is any indication, the reading at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall will be ELECTRIFYING!
To see photos of the rehearsal, click HERE.
Playwright Silver Wainhouse asked award-winning writer Jake Lamar, a long-term Paris expat, to review the script and offer constructive criticism. Lamar’s response was as follows:
Congratulations on a beautiful and deeply moving work! I really have no critique to offer. I just can't wait to see actors bring this to life!
Because Lamar had his play, Brothers in Exile, read at a Paris theater a few years ago, and because he recently had a 10-part radio drama called Viper's Dream recorded for French radio, I asked him to help us identify professional performers who might be willing to participate in a reading of the play as a prelude to a full stage production. He came back with two recommendations - Patrick Rameau and Vanessa Dolmen. Dolmen generously shared the names of other actors who she thought would be good for the project.
As a result, the cast of Amazing Grace Is Yellow consists of professional actors and actresses who are active in stage and screen productions in France. Some are native Francophones with an excellent command of English. All were excited to learn about Delaney’s life and work and expressed bewilderment and frustration that they had never heard of him prior to becoming a part of the project.
The main characters in the play are Beauford; his mother, Delia; and his dear friend and mentee, James Baldwin. Eleven additional characters, real and fictional, round out the list of characters. For the reading, most of the performers will take on multiple roles.
Front row: Audrey Mikondo, Silver Wainhouse, Edouard Chény
Back Row: JaQuincy Atkins, Vanessa Dolman, Patrick Rameau
© Silver Wainhouse
Patrick Rameau has been selected to portray Beauford. A professional actor for stage, screen, and television, his work has been seen all over the world. He is also a playwright - his work entitled ROSARIES has been produced Off Broadway. His latest film script, The Fall, is currently in pre-production phase. Patrick is especially proud of his school, Actor without Borders, which opens in Paris this fall with the first rehearsal workshop of Othello.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Vanessa Dolmen will portray a fictional character who Beauford meets on the train to Boston and the Harlem landlady who robbed Beauford of his possessions and money on his first day in New York City. She recently finished a run in the Paris musical production Maya, Une Voix about the late, great Maya Angelou. After obtaining a master's degree in English, Vanessa briefly imagined herself as an English teacher but her true calling got in the way! She has performed in the award-winning short film Barbara, several feature films, and several radio dramas, including Jake Lamar's Viper's Dream.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Audrey Mikondo, also from the cast of Maya, Une Voix, will read the roles of Mrs. Sparrow, a black society matron who introduced Beauford to many prominent African Americans in pre-Depression Boston, and Delia Delaney, Beauford's mother. Audrey is a French actress who worked in communications before deciding to pursue acting. She studied theater in English and in French at Cours Florent, culminating with several performances at the Théatre des Bouffes du Nord in Pais. She recently co-created Cygnet Theatre, an English-speaking theater company that will present its third production, Much Ado about Nothing, at the end of the month at the beautiful Jardin des Arènes de Montmartre in Paris.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Edouard Chény will recreate James (Jimmy) Baldwin and will also read the roles of a man at the New York boarding house and a fictional character that Beauford converses with in a Paris café. As an artist, he is always looking to get involved in inspiring projects. His goal as an actor is to serve great stories and impact people on a big scale. He says that faith, authenticity and love are the words he tries to live by every single day.
© Entrée to Black Paris
JaQuincy Atkins will portray a fictional character whom Beauford meets on the train to Boston (this character and the one portrayed by Vanessa Dolmen are husband and wife). Additionally, he will portray as another fictional character that Beauford meets in a Paris café and a patient at Sainte-Anne's Hospital, where Beauford spent the last four years of his life. He is a graceful presence embodying light shining outward. Those who surround him can feel his warm, humble spirit and bright smile. With the gift of creativity, he strives to remind those with passions to express love and humility.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Chény and Atkins model as well as act. Hailing from Los Angeles, Atkins is the only U.S.-born actor in the group.
Inspired by playwright Wainhouse's opening exercise during the first rehearsal, which required everyone to give a brief introduction of themselves and state a single word that described their feelings about participating in the reading, a bond quickly formed among the actors.
© Entrée to Black Paris
Emotions ran high several times as the story unfolded and the actors settled into their parts. If the energy generated during the rehearsal is any indication, the reading at Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall will be ELECTRIFYING!
To see photos of the rehearsal, click HERE.
Knoxvillians Explore Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse
A few days ago, I had the distinct honor and pleasure to escort three residents of Knoxville, Tennessee on the Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse walking tour.
From left to right: Tom Whisman, Monique Y. Wells,
Rosa Mar, and Steve Cotham
© Entrée to Black Paris
Steve Cotham manages the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville. The McClung Historical Collection sponsored the historical marker that honors Beauford and his brother, Joseph, in Knoxville.
I was thrilled to be able to show Steve and his friends, Tom Whisman and Rosa Mar, the two plaques that Les Amis de Beauford Delaney had installed to honor Beauford in Montparnasse.
Rosa Mar at Hôtel Odessa
Photo courtesy of Steve Cotham
Steve Cotham at Hôtel Le M
Photo courtesy of Steve Cotham
I was also thrilled to take the group to Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall, the space where the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition was held in 2016 and show them several photos of the "Knoxville 11" enjoying the vernissage for that show. Columbia Global Centers | Paris is where the reading for Amazing Grace Is Yellow, Silver Wainhouse's play about Beauford, will take place on October 16, 2019.
Another highlight of the tour was the Montparnasse Cemetery, where James Baldwin would have liked to see Beauford buried. I shared before and after photos of Beauford's grave in Thiais Cemetery and explained the circumstances of his burial.
Beauford’s Unmarked Grave at Thiais Cemetery – July 2009
© Discover Paris!
Tombstone – August 2010
© Discover Paris!
A host of Knoxville events honoring Beauford have been scheduled for the next several months. Watch this blog for further information about the ever growing movement to honor him in his hometown!
To find out more about the "Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse" walking tour, send e-mail to .
Rosa Mar, and Steve Cotham
© Entrée to Black Paris
Steve Cotham manages the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville. The McClung Historical Collection sponsored the historical marker that honors Beauford and his brother, Joseph, in Knoxville.
I was thrilled to be able to show Steve and his friends, Tom Whisman and Rosa Mar, the two plaques that Les Amis de Beauford Delaney had installed to honor Beauford in Montparnasse.
Photo courtesy of Steve Cotham
Photo courtesy of Steve Cotham
I was also thrilled to take the group to Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall, the space where the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition was held in 2016 and show them several photos of the "Knoxville 11" enjoying the vernissage for that show. Columbia Global Centers | Paris is where the reading for Amazing Grace Is Yellow, Silver Wainhouse's play about Beauford, will take place on October 16, 2019.
Another highlight of the tour was the Montparnasse Cemetery, where James Baldwin would have liked to see Beauford buried. I shared before and after photos of Beauford's grave in Thiais Cemetery and explained the circumstances of his burial.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
A host of Knoxville events honoring Beauford have been scheduled for the next several months. Watch this blog for further information about the ever growing movement to honor him in his hometown!
To find out more about the "Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse" walking tour, send e-mail to .
Delia Delaney is Adopted!
In last week's blog post, I shared that four of the six actors who will portray characters in the reading of Silver Wainhouse's play, Amazing Grace Is Yellow, have been "adopted" by donors who want to support the play.
This week, I'm pleased to announce that the actress who will read Delia Delaney's part (Beauford's mother) in the play has been adopted as well!
Portrait of the Artist’s Mother
(1930) Pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Here's a preview of what you'll hear during the exchange between Beauford and Delia when you attend the reading (scene from Beauford's New York years):
Rehearsals for Amazing Grace Is Yellow begin on September 10th in preparation for our October 16th reading at Columbia Global Centers Reid Hall. We have made great progress with fundraising and are currently seeking donations to support our final actor, the venue for the reading, and production fees.
This week, I'm pleased to announce that the actress who will read Delia Delaney's part (Beauford's mother) in the play has been adopted as well!
(1930) Pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Here's a preview of what you'll hear during the exchange between Beauford and Delia when you attend the reading (scene from Beauford's New York years):
BEAUFORD: Sometimes I hear crying. Sometimes crying and laughing at the same time. Moaning. Even… cussing… Why do they do that, Mama?
MAMA: Don't know baby. Wish l could carry that for you.
BEAUFORD: Mama, sometimes they stop when I paint. I think they're quenched by paint. When I make the right strokes, strokes they like, pleasing them, I can hear them drinking and getting full. Satisfied. I've discovered that some days they like yellow- some days red- orange even. They let me know. (he laughs softly). They still and watch.
MAMA: (holding his face). Look at me. Everything pauses at beauty, Beauford. Even people intent on destroying it. They stop if only for a breath -- look at it, recognizing it for what it is. Make beauty, Beauford. That's your gift. God given gift.
BEAUFORD: But why Mama? Why do folks want to destroy it?
MAMA: It's a power. The devil wants to destroy it. (upbeat). But the devil can't fight our songs. And your voice is another gift. When you sing… the way your voice is cloaked. When your voice dropped on your way to becoming a man. It dropped so. I thought I would have to take a train or dig a well to go get it. Yep it dropped fast. And Deep. (she laughs but is quickly serious). I'm your Mama, Beauford. I know. I see what you carry. Let’s sing. Keep the devil at bay.
Rehearsals for Amazing Grace Is Yellow begin on September 10th in preparation for our October 16th reading at Columbia Global Centers Reid Hall. We have made great progress with fundraising and are currently seeking donations to support our final actor, the venue for the reading, and production fees.