Les Amis de Beauford Delaney is supporting the completion of

BEAUFORD DELANEY: SO SPLENDID A JOURNEY,

the first full-length documentary about Beauford.


Join us in making this video tribute to Beauford a reality!

TO MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION,

CLICK HERE.



Saturday, December 28, 2019

1964 Abstract Sold at ADER Nordmann Auction


HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM
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.

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

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.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

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


Saturday, December 14, 2019

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

Saturday, December 7, 2019

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.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

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!

Saturday, November 23, 2019

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):

"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 .



Saturday, November 16, 2019

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

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


Saturday, November 9, 2019

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."

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

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!







Saturday, November 2, 2019

Sounds of Sainte-Anne's Hospital


Insignia - Saint 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.

Beauford and James Baldwin
at Sainte-Anne's Hospital, 1976
Photo by Max Petrus

Saturday, October 26, 2019

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.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Amazing Grace Is Yellow - A Great Success!

Left: Portrait of Beauford Delaney, (1953) Carl Van Vechten
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.

Courtyard at Reid Hall
© 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.

Final rehearsal
© 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.

Full house
© 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.

Patrick Rameau reads 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.

Playwright / Director Silver Wainhouse
© Entrée to Black Paris

After the reading, attendees, cast, and production team mingled during a reception sponsored by Mary Duncan, Paris Writers Group.

Reception for Amazing Grace Is Yellow
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.

Silver Wainhouse and Joseph Langley
© 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.



Saturday, October 12, 2019

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.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

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.