After a splendid opening in February and record visitation over a period of five weeks, the Knoxville Museum of Art's exquisite exhibition entitled Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin: Through the Unusual Door was unceremoniously shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
KMA has found a creative way to keep the show top of mind. It has created a series of four YouTube videos that present various aspects of the exhibition in roughly 79 minutes.
Screenshot of KMA YouTube Video Series
Part 3 Thumbnail
Barbara W. and Bernard E. Bernstein Curator Stephen Wicks guides viewers through the entire exhibition with insightful commentary and anecdotes pertaining to Beauford's life and his relationship with Baldwin.
Part 1 of the series opens with Wicks' acknowledgment of Beauford as Knoxville's most important artist and provides an overview of the exhibition. It then presents Parts I and II of the exhibition, entitled "Portraits" and "New York," respectively.
Wicks recounts the story of James Baldwin meeting Beauford for the first time at Beauford's Greene Street studio in Greenwich Village and presents three portraits of James Baldwin that Beauford created during that period, including Dark Rapture (1941). He talks about Beauford's Auto-portrait from 1965, which was loaned to the show by the Whitney Museum of American Art.
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
Wicks also explores the potential relationship between James Baldwin's story about Beauford showing him an oily puddle on a New York street, the iridescent colors in Beauford's 1944 portrait of Baldwin, and the short film called "Abstract in Concrete" by John Arvonio, to whom Beauford dedicated the 1944 Baldwin portrait.
Portrait of James Baldwin
(1944) Pastel on paper
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Part 2 presents Part III of the exhibition, entitled "Clamart," and Part IV, entitled "The Lure of Music." It opens with Wicks relating the story of Beauford's move to the Paris suburb of Clamart as he stands by Untitled (1959), one of the paintings shown in the 2016 Paris exhibition, Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color.
Untitled
(1959) Oil on canvas
Mint Museum, Charlotte
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
He also presents Beauford's 1968 abstract portrait of Ella Fitzgerald in this video.
Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald
(1968) Oil on canvas
Permanent collection of the SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah
Gift of Dr. Walter O. and Mrs. Linda J. Evans
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Part 3 opens with Wicks talking about books by James Baldwin that are on display at the exhibition. It presents Part V of the exhibition, entitled "The Call of Civil Rights," and Part VI, entitled "Transnationalism."
Among the many works presented in this video, Wicks talks about two of Beauford's Rosa Parks paintings, two iconic portraits of James Baldwin, and Beauford's portrait of Charlie Parker.
Two Women on a Bench
(1970) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Charlie Parker
(1968) Oil on canvas
Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester
Photograph by Joshua Nefsky; Courtesy of
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Part 4 presents Part VII of the exhibition, entitled "St.-Paul-de-Vence," and Part VIII, entitled "Archival Items."
In this video, Wicks compares a very early work, dated 1922, with Yellow Cypress (1972), one of Beauford's last known paintings from Saint-Paul-de-Vence -- the town where James Baldwin established a homestead in 1970.
Yellow Cypress
(1972) Oil on canvas
Clark Atlanta University Museum, Atlanta
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
He also shares information about numerous archival sketches and photographs that provide the back story for many of the works in the exhibition.
At the end of this segment, viewers can see rare footage of Beauford being interviewed in his Clamart studio.
Through the Unusual Door was scheduled to close in May. Happily, KMA has been able to organize an extension of the exhibition through October 25, 2020.
If you liked this virtual tour, get yourself to Knoxville as soon as possible so you can see the entire show in person!
KMA has found a creative way to keep the show top of mind. It has created a series of four YouTube videos that present various aspects of the exhibition in roughly 79 minutes.
Part 3 Thumbnail
Barbara W. and Bernard E. Bernstein Curator Stephen Wicks guides viewers through the entire exhibition with insightful commentary and anecdotes pertaining to Beauford's life and his relationship with Baldwin.
Part 1 of the series opens with Wicks' acknowledgment of Beauford as Knoxville's most important artist and provides an overview of the exhibition. It then presents Parts I and II of the exhibition, entitled "Portraits" and "New York," respectively.
Wicks recounts the story of James Baldwin meeting Beauford for the first time at Beauford's Greene Street studio in Greenwich Village and presents three portraits of James Baldwin that Beauford created during that period, including Dark Rapture (1941). He talks about Beauford's Auto-portrait from 1965, which was loaned to the show by the Whitney Museum of American Art.
(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
Wicks also explores the potential relationship between James Baldwin's story about Beauford showing him an oily puddle on a New York street, the iridescent colors in Beauford's 1944 portrait of Baldwin, and the short film called "Abstract in Concrete" by John Arvonio, to whom Beauford dedicated the 1944 Baldwin portrait.
(1944) Pastel on paper
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Part 2 presents Part III of the exhibition, entitled "Clamart," and Part IV, entitled "The Lure of Music." It opens with Wicks relating the story of Beauford's move to the Paris suburb of Clamart as he stands by Untitled (1959), one of the paintings shown in the 2016 Paris exhibition, Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color.
(1959) Oil on canvas
Mint Museum, Charlotte
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
He also presents Beauford's 1968 abstract portrait of Ella Fitzgerald in this video.
(1968) Oil on canvas
Permanent collection of the SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah
Gift of Dr. Walter O. and Mrs. Linda J. Evans
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Part 3 opens with Wicks talking about books by James Baldwin that are on display at the exhibition. It presents Part V of the exhibition, entitled "The Call of Civil Rights," and Part VI, entitled "Transnationalism."
Among the many works presented in this video, Wicks talks about two of Beauford's Rosa Parks paintings, two iconic portraits of James Baldwin, and Beauford's portrait of Charlie Parker.
(1970) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1968) Oil on canvas
Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester
Photograph by Joshua Nefsky; Courtesy of
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Part 4 presents Part VII of the exhibition, entitled "St.-Paul-de-Vence," and Part VIII, entitled "Archival Items."
In this video, Wicks compares a very early work, dated 1922, with Yellow Cypress (1972), one of Beauford's last known paintings from Saint-Paul-de-Vence -- the town where James Baldwin established a homestead in 1970.
(1972) Oil on canvas
Clark Atlanta University Museum, Atlanta
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
He also shares information about numerous archival sketches and photographs that provide the back story for many of the works in the exhibition.
At the end of this segment, viewers can see rare footage of Beauford being interviewed in his Clamart studio.
Through the Unusual Door was scheduled to close in May. Happily, KMA has been able to organize an extension of the exhibition through October 25, 2020.
If you liked this virtual tour, get yourself to Knoxville as soon as possible so you can see the entire show in person!
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