Beauford at the Montréal Contemporary Art Museum

The Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal (MACM), Montreal's contemporary art museum, owns two works by Beauford.

 Sans titre, 1963
Huile sur toile
 Collection Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
Photo : MACM
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Madame Biocci, 1967
Charcoal and gouache on paper mounted on cardboard
Collection Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
Photo : MACM
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Both were given to the museum by Guy Joussemet, a prominent art collector who knew Beauford and received the works directly from him. MACM's records indicate that Beauford gave Joussement the abstract oil painting at his rue Vercingétorix studio.

I have not yet been able to determine how the two men met.

Madame Biocci (1967) was painted on newsprint, the text of which appears to be in Italian.

In 1966, Beauford traveled to Venice with his two dear friends, Larry Calcagno and Charley Boggs, to visit the Venice Biennale.  Perhaps he obtained the newspaper on which he painted this portrait during that trip.

I do not know if he met Madame Biocci on this trip or at another time, or even if she is an actual person.

Neither work is currently on display at MACM.