Beauford at the Artists' Gallery

In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, biographer David Leeming writes:

By 1948 Beauford was finally recognized as a member of the expressionist movement in New York. He was given a solo exhibit at the Artists Gallery on 57th Street in May. He wrote to Billy Rose in May that the 57th street show meant something special to him because it justified the support by his friends of his "terribly painful efforts to try to be articulate."

Leeming indicates that Beauford's Jazz Quartet was shown at this exhibition. He described it as "an energetic, highly colored depiction of a black jazz quartet dominated by a candy-striped piano played by a woman in an elaborate hat."

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
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY

During a recent Internet search, I was pleased to find images of the front and back of an invitation card to Beauford's Artists' Gallery show.

Artists' Gallery Invitation Card - recto and verso
Images reproduced with the permission of Jon Glovin, Fenrick Books 

Fenrick Books is selling this piece of memorabilia. The blurb on the Web page provides the following information about the gallery:

The Artists' Gallery was a non-profit organization that existed from 1936-1962 in various locations. It showed a wide range of artists including Josef Albers, Lyonel Feininger, Adolph Gottlieb, Hans Hoffmann, Louise Nevelson, etc. It collected no commission from the sale of works, instead relying of financial donors.

Further investigation turned up the following tidbit of information from Getty.edu re: selected dealer archives:

Artists' Gallery, New York. Founded in 1936 by Hugh Stix and directed by Federica Beer-Monti. A nonprofit organization supported by contributions, it exhibited works of artists not represented by a commercial dealer, including Josef Albers and Louis Eilshemius. Closed 1962.

The Getty Website references the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art as its information source.

Upon visiting the archive pages dedicated to the Artists' Gallery, I was only able to find mention of a copy of Henry Miller's The Amazing and Invariable Beauford Delaney among the printed materials in the collection. There may well be a catalog for Beauford's 1948 show and/or papers related to the show in the collection, but one would need to visit the Smithsonian to peruse the six boxes of archived items to find and review them.

I have not been able to find any images of the gallery's façade or interior. The space it occupied is now part of the address of the Four Seasons Hotel.

Winter (the Fourth Season) at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

Over the past couple of years, I have written about the landscape at Sainte-Anne's Hospital* in the spring, summer, and fall.

Today, I'm rounding out this series of articles with a post about Sainte-Anne's in the wintertime.

In December 2025, the view of the hospital from boulevard Saint-Jacques was somewhat marred by the construction on rue Ferrus.

View of Sainte-Anne's Hospital from boulevard Saint-Jacques
© Entrée to Black Paris

But the grounds behind the entrance on rue Cabanis did not disappoint.

The wall next to the small door for pedestrian entry to the campus bears a plaque that declares the premises a certified Eco-jardin.

Eco-jardin plaque
© Entrée to Black Paris

Organizations that successfully earn this qualification are committed to following a management plan that includes elements such as proper soil protection, responsible water use, respect for flora and fauna, and staff training on the sustainability of green spaces.

Sainte-Anne's earned its certification in 2025.

I made my usual rounds of the campus on the day after Christmas.

Near the path leading to the medieval garden, I was surprised to see a sign that congratulated visitors on completing a 9-stage exercise course (balade sportive) that has been created on the campus.

Congratulations on completing the balade sportive
© Entrée to Black Paris

I learned that the hospital has encouraged staff and visitors to follow this course for several years, but I have never seen this signage before.

Walking past the Coteau "Les Contemplations," I noted that the grape vines planted there and around the statue of Victor Hugo were bare. One lonely rose swayed in the wind next to the path near the sculpture.

Grape vines near Victor Hugo sculpture
© Entrée to Black Paris

Rose near Victor Hugo sculpture
© Entrée to Black Paris

On the other side of campus, I discovered another garden area that had been planted with a single row of grapevines. A cluster of drying grapes clung to one of these vines; the rest of them were bare.

A cluster of grapes
© Entrée to Black Paris

The CGT (Conféderation Générale du Travail - General Confederation of Labor) union office had multiple announcements posted next to the entrance. One in particular called for donations to support its cause.

CGT flier
© Entrée to Black Paris

I had fun snapping photos of the few flowering plants I found and trying to identify those I didn't recognize using my PlantNet app. (I am no botanist, so if any of the labels below are erroneous, feel free to let me know!)

Camelia
© Entrée to Black Paris

Nipplewort
© Entrée to Black Paris

Honeysuckle
© Entrée to Black Paris

Winter daphne
© Entrée to Black Paris

Saint Martin's Lily and Spanish Dagger
© Entrée to Black Paris

Compared to what I remembered from my visit last summer, many more trees were identified by plaques. My guess is that the signage is part of the hospital's eco-jardin initiative.

Incense cedar
© Entrée to Black Paris

Incense cedar plaque
© Entrée to Black Paris

Golden rain tree
© Entrée to Black Paris

Golden rain tree plaque
© Entrée to Black Paris

Poplar tree
© Entrée to Black Paris

Poplar tree plaque
© Entrée to Black Paris

The signage for the poplar tree in the Parc Charles Baudelaire states that this tree is the oldest and largest on the hospital's campus.

A sign on another tree nearby indicates that the park is the starting point for the balade sportive.

Starting point for the balade sportive
© Entrée to Black Paris

My most striking discovery during this visit had nothing to do with plants.

On a wall near the Alesia entrance to the campus, the Museum of Art and History of Sainte-Anne's Hospital (MAHHSA) was displaying a portrait gallery from its collection of works created by patients. The dated artworks were created between 1905 and 1986; most of them were works on paper.

A selection of portraits from MAHHSA's collection
All images © Entrée to Black Paris

None of the 27 works on display were attributed to Beauford. To the best of my ability to determine, the museum does not hold any of his work in its collection.

To read the articles about my spring, autumn, and summer visits to Sainte-Anne's, click on the links below.

Early Spring at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

Fall Flowers at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

Summertime at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

Entrance to Sainte-Anne's Hospital - rue Cabanis
© Entrée to Black Paris

*Sainte-Anne's Hospital is the place where Beauford died after spending four years as a psychiatric inpatient.

Two Buildings for Beauford

As 2025 comes to a close, Knoxville continues to honor Beauford and his family in one of the most auspicious ways possible—by working on buildings named after them.

That's right - buildings (in plural)!

In August 2021, ground was broken on the Delaney Museum at Beck.

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center acquired the Delaney family's last homestead in 2015 with the intent to restore the home and grounds. Since that time, Beck President Reneé Kesler has led the effort to turn the property into an international museum that will honor Beauford, his brother, Joseph (who was also a painter), and the entire Delaney family.

Watch Reverend Kesler tell the story of how she acquired the home HERE.

The museum was originally projected to open in Autumn 2022. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic and escalating construction costs, work on the project has been postponed several times.

Construction finally began in earnest on November 18, 2025.

Beck released the following photos when it announced the commencement of work.

All images courtesy of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center

See images of the work being done at the Delaney Museum at Beck by clicking HERE.

In another area of Knoxville, a much larger project is now nearing completion.

The Beauford Delaney Building is part of the Knoxville Multi-Use Stadium project in Knoxville's Old City. We first wrote about it in February 2022. 

Construction had not begun at that time.

Today, the nine-story, mixed-use building, which has been dubbed "The DELANEY," has 47 one- or two-bedroom condominiums and over 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Advertisements boast of indoor and outdoor entertainment areas, stadium and city views in every direction, large terraces and spacious balconies, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. The condos range in price from $750,000 to $2.5 million.

All images courtesy of David Butler

Though construction is not quite complete, some residents are already moving into the building. 

See images of the condos HERE and watch a local news report about the building HERE.

This is Les Amis' last posting for 2025. We wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Sweet 16 - Celebrating Les Amis' Milestone Anniversary

On December 14, Les Amis de Beauford Delaney will celebrate sixteen years of honoring Beauford's brilliance through the Les Amis blog.

This anniversary is important because it marks a major transition in the life of the blog, which has grown into both a beloved source of stories for casual readers and a valuable reference for scholars wishing to explore Beauford’s life and art.

To honor this journey and better serve our worldwide community, we are bringing Les Amis into a new era.

We’re working on a major upgrade: moving the blog (which has approximately 750 posts to date) to a modern platform that will improve accessibility, allow interactive features, and safeguard our content for the future.

This platform will be hosted by the Wells International Foundation (WIF).

WIF is the U.S. nonprofit that raised the money for and organized the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition, which launched Beauford's renaissance in 2016.*

 

Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog cover

Great progress has been made on this project, and as of this writing, we are on track to complete the transition by the end of December 2025.

Once this has been accomplished, we will perform a final series of tests for functionality and go live early in 2026.

Today, we want to reflect on and celebrate what has transpired since our first post on December 14, 2009.

How It All Began 

Les Amis de Beauford Delaney is a small, French non-profit organization (Association 1901) that was created in November 2009. 

Beauford Delaney
(1953) Carl Van Vechten

 The goals of the organization are as follows: 

1) Placement and maintenance of a tombstone for the grave of painter Beauford Delaney, who is buried at the Parisian Cemetery of Thiais 

2) Payment of the renewal fees for his grave 

3) Organization of commemorative or educational events in his honor 

4) Informing the press and the media of his life and accomplishments. 

For several years, the French nonprofit pursued all four goals on its own.

We launched the blog to raise awareness of Beauford's story in support of the fundraising effort to place a tombstone at his previously unmarked grave at Thiais Cemetery outside of Paris.

With the support of the U.S. Embassy and numerous private donors, we succeeded in this effort and laid the stone over the summer of 2010.  

We organized a graveside ceremony, which was followed by a U.S. Embassy-hosted reception in Paris on October 14, 2010. 

Gathering around the tombstone

© Discover Paris!

Because of the passion ignited by this effort, we continued to delve into his life and art and bring these stories to the public through the blog. 

Beginning with the 2016 Resonance of Form exhibition, we have partnered with WIF on various events.

When the blog is transferred to the new platform, we will work with WIF in an advisory capacity on the selection of content that will be uploaded alongside the blog.

We are excited that what started as a modest online publication has grown into a key resource supporting the global renaissance of interest in Beauford’s work.

Sixteen Years of Milestones and Achievements 

Across these sixteen years, Les Amis has supported and documented major developments in the reclamation and expansion of Beauford’s artistic legacy. 

We have

• Featured exhibitions of his work around the world and highlighted new acquisitions of his works by major museums
• Reported on the sale of his work by numerous auction houses and celebrated record breaking transactions
• Shared anecdotes from personal friends and acquaintances that shed light on Beauford's personal life
• Documented initiatives to preserve Beauford Delaney archival materials
• Exposed readers to the vast depth and breadth of his artistic practice
• Provided support for scholars wanting to investigate his life and work as well as the life and work of his famous mentee, James Baldwin. 

Beauford's work at the groundbreaking Paris Noir exhibition in 2025
© Entrée to Black Paris  

Negro Man [Claude McKay]
(1944) Oil on canvas
Acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2022
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator,
Image: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
  The Sage Black
(1967) Oil on canvas
Record-breaking sale by Christie's in November 2025
$1.2 million (hammer price)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY

Through these efforts, Les Amis has played a significant role in shifting Beauford from the margins to the center of conversations on 20th century artists.

Moments That Resonated the Most

Among the many posts that have filled the blog over the years, certain stories have left an enduring mark.

These include profiles and posts about

• Beauford’s friendships, particularly his life-changing bond with James Baldwin
• Projects inspired by Beauford's life and work, including the Classes Duo partnership with the City of Paris and the play, Amazing Grace is Yellow
• Lesser-known moments of Beauford's life in Knoxville and Boston
• Deep dives into specific paintings that helped newcomers connect emotionally with his work
• Scholarly commentary and exchanges about Beauford's œuvre. 

 

These posts remind us that the blog is more than an archive—it is a space for discovery, memory, conversation, and connection.

The Community That Keeps the Blog Alive

We cannot honor this milestone anniversary without recognizing the vibrant community that has sustained this project:

• The readers who come back year after year
• The students and scholars who find information and images to support their work on the blog
• The educators who use our posts in their classrooms
• The friends of Beauford who read the blog and are inspired to contribute their own stories about him
• The museum curators, auction houses, and archivists who share research or request information.

 

Speculative Light book cover
Cover Art: Portrait of James Baldwin
(1965) Oil on canvas
Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire
Court Appointed Administrator
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY

We especially thank the Estate of Beauford Delaney, the Knoxville Museum of Art, Galerie Intemporel, the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the University of Arizona, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery for their unwavering support over the lifetime of the blog.

Looking Forward

Sixteen years is a milestone, but it is also a beginning. We continue to work—joyfully and intentionally—to expand Beauford's legacy.

Because Beauford deserves more ...

... more recognition, more scholarship, and more space in the global conversation about modern art.

Looking ahead, Les Amis aims to

• Launch new digital features, examples of which include exclusive interviews, digital stories, and curated reading lists.
• Expand access to resources for students, educators, and Black and other cultural institutions.
• Support new research that deepens our understanding of Beauford’s artistic evolution.
• Continue collaborating with museums and scholars on exhibitions and archival projects.
• Continue nurturing the community of Beauford's supporters around the world.

Our overarching mission remains the same: to keep the light shining brightly on Beauford’s work and to ensure his story is never again pushed to the edges of art history.

In Gratitude 

To everyone who has walked this sixteen-year journey with us—thank you!

Your curiosity, your engagement, your passion, and your love for Beauford’s art make this blog a living tribute.

His legacy continues because you choose to be part of keeping it alive.

Auto-portrait
(1965) Oil on canvas
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY  *****************

*WIF is raising $3200 to support the cost of transitioning the Les Amis blog to its new home.

If you'd like to donate, click HERE to access WIF's giving page. 

Enter "Beauford Delaney" in the donor note so your gift is directed to this project.