Composition in Blue Is Being Auctioned by Christie's

Beauford's Untitled (Composition in Blue) is one of the works I featured in Part 1 of a blog post called "Beauford's Blues."

It is being auctioned by Christie's New York as part of the First Open | Post-War & Contemporary Art online sale.

Lot 37
Untitled (Composition in Blue)
(1961) Gouache on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

This work is signed and dated December 25, 1961.

At that time, Beauford resided at La Maison de Santé Nogent-sur-Marne, where he received psychiatric care from Dr. Gaston Ferdière.

According to biographer David Leeming, he arrived at the clinic on December 20, so he had some time to acclimate to his new surroundings before painting this work.

Solange du Closel and her husband drove Beauford to the clinic after having cared for him in their home. Presumably, they provided the materials he used to create Untitled (Composition in Blue).

I always have a feeling of lightness, of airiness, when I look at an image of this work. I wonder if Beauford felt this way when he painted it, given that he had been prescribed medication that Leeming says stopped his hallucinations.

The First Open | Post-War & Contemporary Art sale runs through July 18, 2025. The estimated sale price of Untitled (Composition in Blue) is $20,000 - $30,000.

For information about the sale, click HERE.