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Saturday, October 29, 2022

Beauford in The Art of the Affair

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Forsyth Harmon created a beautiful watercolor portrait of Beauford for a book called The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence by Catherine Lacey.

Beauford Delaney
(2017) Watercolor on paper
Forsyth Harmon

I reached out to Harmon to learn more about the book and her portrait of Beauford, and she graciously granted Les Amis the interview below.

Les Amis: Amazon lists you as an author on The Art of the Affair alongside Catherine Lacey. How much of the writing did you contribute to this book in addition to your wonderful illustrations?

FH: The Art of the Affair grew from a piece Catherine Lacey contributed to The Believer magazine. The concept was Catherine's, however she and I worked together to co-curate the relationship chains between turn of the century writers, artists, musicians, and more. Catherine did the writing, and I did the illustrations. The process was very collaborative, and a lot of fun. I learned so much.

Les Amis: What story does the book tell about Beauford Delaney?

FH: Beauford is featured in Chapter Five of The Art of the Affair--a section entitled "The Way Your Blood Beats." He appears as an important artist of his time, and one of only the two persons Georgia O'Keefe ever drew. The book also calls attention to the ways in which he inspired James Baldwin, who called him "the first living proof, for me, that a black man could be an artist," and "a cross between Brer Rabbit and St. Francis of Assisi." Beauford helped James find a way to pay for his father's funeral when he was still a teenager. They later traveled together in Europe.

Book spread from The Art of the Affair
Image courtesy of Forsyth Harmon

Les Amis: Did you decide to include him in the book or did Catherine Lacey?

FH: I can't recall which of us pulled in Beauford! I do remember curating this chapter in Catherine's Fort Greene apartment over dinner. It was a wonderful night!

Les Amis: What inspired you and / or Lacey to include him in the book?

FH: As a portrait artist myself, I have always been a fan of Beauford's work. It wasn't until later in life that I realized an organization founded by my family, The Harmon Foundation, had frequently exhibited his early pastel portraits during the1930s and 1940s. The Foundation supported a variety of causes, but is best known for having served as a patron of African-American art during the Harlem Renaissance, helping African-American artists gain the recognition they deserved.

Les Amis: What inspired your watercolor of Beauford? Was it a photo portrait, one of his self-portraits ... ?

FH: I generally use multiple sources to inspire my portraits. In this case, I used a combination of photographs and Beauford's self-portraits, but was probably most inspired by a photograph taken by Rue Guilleminot in France in 1973. I did my best to capture his expression in this photograph ... knowing, bemused, and perhaps a bit exhausted.

Beauford Delaney
Rue Guilleminot
France 1973
© Errol Sawyer

Les Amis: You are donating the proceeds from the sale of your Beauford Delaney portrait to support the library at the A. J. William-Myers African Roots Center. What is your relationship with the center?

FH: I am local to the A. J. William-Myers African Roots Center, which is headquartered in Kingston, New York. I've been inspired by the work the organization does around literacy and the advancement of historical knowledge, cultural enrichment, civic engagement and social justice. Over the past two years, The Harmon Foundation has included the center in its annual funding disbursement at my direction.

Les Amis: Has anyone purchased the portrait of Beauford, allowing you to donate to the Center?

FH: I am making the donation.

Les Amis: How well do you know Beauford's work?

FH: I'm not an expert! Although now I'm inspired to learn more.

Les Amis: What, if anything, about it inspires you?

FH: I find so much movement and depth of emotion in his portraits especially. The subject paint application embodies a lot of energy, and the background washes feel almost auric, creating a kind of halo. I feel they offer true access into the subject's internal state.

Les Amis: Are there any final thoughts you'd like to share?

FH: Just gratitude for the opportunity to support the A. J. William-Myers African Roots Center by celebrating Beauford Delaney. Thank you!

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Istanbul Calling - A Recordbreaking Sale

On Octobr 14, 2022, Christie's London hosted a Post-War & Contemporary Art Day auction under the umbrella title "Istanbul Calling" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and benefit the institution’s new Young Artists Fund.

As I reported on October 1, two Beauford Delaney portraits belonging to the estate of Turkish actress, theater director and owner, author, and television media personality Gülriz Sururi were put up for sale during this auction.

The estimated sale price of the Sururi portrait was 150,000-200,000 GBP.


Gülriz Sururi
(1966) oil on canvas
39 3/8 x 29 7/8in. (100 x 76cm.)
Signed and dated 'Beauford Delaney 1966' (lower left)

© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

It sold for 189,000 GBP ($211,883), including Buyer's Premium.

The estimated sale price of the Baldwin portrait was 180,000-230,000 GBP.

James Baldwin
(1966) oil on canvas
39 1/2 x 29 7/8in. (100.2 x 76cm.
)
signed and dated 'Beauford Delaney 1966' (lower left)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

It sold for 1,026,000 GBP ($1,150,114), including Buyer's Premium.

Christie's describes this as "the top price of the afternoon" for the auction. It names Beauford as one of three artists who "lead Christie’s 20th/21st Century Frieze Week season in London".

The auction house also declared the sale price of the Baldwin portrait "a record price for the artist." It identifies the hightest price that a Beauford Delaney fetched at auction prior to Istanbul Calling was the untitled 1948 painting, subtitled Village Street Scene, which sold for $557,000, including Buyer's Premium, at Swann Auction Galleries' African American Fine Art Sale in April 2018.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Beauford Delaney News

Here are a few tidbits of news about Beauford's work, gathered from a Google search a few days ago.

New Orleans Auction Galleries Sale

On October 9, 2022, New Orleans Auction Galleries sold the untitled Beauford Delaney gouache on paper pictured below for $17,500.

Untitled
(1969) Gouache on paper
Sheet 8-1/2" x 6-1/4", framed 14-1/4" x 11-3/4"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Beauford at the Art Institute of Chicago

Beauford's iconic 1944 self-portrait and Norman Lewis' Multitudes are being juxtaposed with several closed-form sculptures by Toshiko Takaezu in Gallery 262 at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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

Find an image of the display here: https://www.artic.edu/highlights/49/a-aapi-artists

Watercolor Portrait of Beauford Delaney Being Sold for Charity

Portrait of Beauford Delaney
(2017) Watercolor on paper
Forsyth Harmon

You'll find this beautiful portrait of Beauford in a book called The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence by Catherine Lacey.

Forsyth Harmon is selling the portrait for $150 and has pledged to donate all proceeds to the Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center, an organization that promotes literacy through teaching and learning about the African roots experience, including history and culture, through a dynamic exchange of information, ideas, and creativity.

Find information and purchase the work here: https://forsythharmon.com/Beauford-Delaney

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Sold and To Be Sold 2

SOLD

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the impending auction of Beauford's Ciel (Sky) color screenprint no. 22/36 by Swann Auction Galleries. 

Ciel (Sky)
(1960) Color screenprint
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered 22/36 in pencil, lower margin
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The sale took place on October 6, 2022, and the piece sold for $10,000, including Buyer's Premium. 

TO BE SOLD

On October 9, 2022, New Orleans Auction Galleries will offer an untitled Beauford Delaney gouache on paper for sale during a two-day estates auction.  

Untitled
(1969) Gouache on paper
Sheet 8-1/2" x 6-1/4", framed 14-1/4" x 11-3/4"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

They describe the work (Lot 109) as follows:

"In this later abstract work by Delaney, the artist employs a limited yet sophisticated color palette of vivid hues to create an almost rhythmic exploration of the interplay of color and form."

This signed, framed work is estimated to sell for $15,000 to $25,000. 

 
Untitled (detail)
(1969) Gouache on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

For information about this sale, click HERE.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Sale of Beauford Delaney Portraits to Support Charitable Causes

Over the years, I've published three articles about the time Beauford spent in Istanbul:

Beauford and Baldwin in Istanbul

Beauford in Istanbul

Sedat Pakay's Tribute to Beauford

A few days ago, I learned that two works created by Beauford during this sojourn are being auctioned for charity.

Christie's London is hosting two auctions under the umbrella title "Istanbul Calling" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and benefit the institution’s new Young Artists Fund.  The sales catalog states that "Highlights include two enchanting portraits by Beauford Delaney painted in Turkey and held in the same private collection since 1966..." 

That collection belongs to the estate of Gülriz Sururi (1929-2018), a Turkish actress, theater director and owner, author, and television media personality. She and her husband, actor Engin Cezzar (1935-2017), were dear friends of James Baldwin. Beauford met the couple during his 1966 visit to Istanbul.

The portraits portray James Baldwin (Lot 287) and Gülriz Sururi (Lot 288).

Screenshot from Christie's Website

Find vibrant images of these portraits and read the lot essays about them on Christie's Website at the links below:

James Baldwin

Gülriz Sururi

The Baldwin portrait is one of two that Beauford created while in Istanbul.  It is one of the "softest" I've seen in terms of the palette Beauford chose to use in portraying his friend.  The estimated sale price of this work is $210,000-$290,000.

The Sururi portrait is another example of Beauford's passion for portraying his subjects in luminous yellow.  The estimated sale price of this work is $180,000-$230,000.

Both portraits will be sold during the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale on Friday 14 October 2022. The Sururi Estate plans to donate 80% of their net proceeds of sale to Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği (Association for the Support of Contemporary Living), a non-profit NGO in Turkey, and the remaining 20% of their net proceeds of sale to İKSV. The Association for the Support of Contemporary Living helps girls across Turkey to obtain an education.

For more information about the sale, click HERE.