Beauford at the Roko Gallery for Negro History Week 1949

For Les Amis' last blog posting for Black History Month 2012, I am pleased that I have unearthed a tidbit of information to share about Beauford and the celebration of African-American history in the U.S. I found it in David Leeming's biography entitled Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney.

Beauford exhibited paintings at the now defunct Roko Gallery in February 1949 in a group show of African-American artists as a celebration of Negro History Week. One of the works shown was his Still Life with Pears (aka Still Life with Fruit), shown below:

Still Life with Pears
(1946) Oil on canvas
Image from the Artsmia.org Website
This painting was particularly admired by art critic Elaine de Koonig, who described it as being a "violent impasto."

According to Leeming, most of the paintings that Beauford entered into this show were "expressionistic." But he also exhibited a painting of a "specifically African-American subject" called Harlem Blue. It depicted a nighttime Harlem scene that Beauford rendered in the style of his Greene Street paintings.

Two Beauford Delaneys Sold at 2012 African-American Fine Art Auction

As I reported a couple of weeks ago, Swann Galleries proposed three Beauford Delaney works it its February 2012 African-American Fine Art auction. Here are the results:

Lot 22 (my favorite of the three paintings) sold for $15,000*, the lower limit of the estimated sales price.

Lot 22
Untitled (Abstract Composition)
(1961) Oil monotype on heavy wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

Lot 129 is unsold.

Lot 129
Untitled
(1962) Gouache and watercolor on wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

Lot 130 sold for $14,000*. The upper limit of the estimated sale price was $15,000.

Lot 130
Untitled (Abstraction in Green)
(1964) Gouache on thick wove paper
Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

Swann Galleries generally holds two African-American Fine Art auctions each year - one in February and one in October. If any of Beauford's works will be offered for sale during the next auction, I'll report on it here!

*At auction, there are two prices--the hammer price, or the price at which the item sells during the auction, and the price with the buyer's premium. All auction houses have a buyer's premium that the buyer pays to the auction house on top of the hammer price. Swann's premium is 20%. The prices indicated in this article are hammer prices.

Where to Find Beauford’s Art: Bill Hodges Gallery

Bill Hodges is a champion of Beauford’s art. He has shown Beauford’s work in past expositions at his Manhattan gallery and presents images of ten Beauford Delaney paintings on his Web site.

One of the paintings shown on the site – Woman in White – is in Hodges’ personal collection:

Woman in White
(1964-65) Oil on canvas
Photo from Bill Hodges Gallery Web site
Several images on the Web site are found in two catalogs from the past expositions in which Hodges showcased Beauford’s work. They are entitled African American Artists - III and Abstractionist Visions: Works on Paper. A third catalog – African-American Artists - II – contains images that are not displayed on line.

I found the images from Abstractionists Visions to be absolutely stunning! Unfortunately, I am not able to reproduce them for you on this blog. To see some of them, visit www.billhodgesgallery.com/aaindex.html and click on Beauford’s name. (I have noted that the images in the catalog are much more vibrant and powerful than the ones online.)

Hodges makes several observations about Beauford’s paintings in the Abstractionists Visions catalog. He states that Beauford’s “use of strong and vibrant colors is utterly remarkable,” and expresses his conviction that the strength of the works on paper that he included in the exposition “far exceed many works on canvas.” He goes even further, stating that he had “yet to see a canvas by Delaney that exceeds the vigor of the works on pages 5, 6, and 7” (from left to right, images #3, #6, and #8 of the reproductions of abstract paintings on the Web site).

Contrary to what is indicated on the Web site, the painting below (which was not included in any of the catalogs) has not yet been sold.

Untitled*
Abstraction in Pink, Yellow, and Green
(1964) Oil on paper
Photo from Bill Hodges Gallery Web site
To see Woman in White, and to pick up your catalogs, visit the Bill Hodges Gallery:

Bill Hodges Gallery
24 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019
Tel: 212-333-2640
Fax: 212-333-2644

Gallery Hours
Tuesday to Friday: 10am-6pm
Saturday: 12:30pm-5:30pm

*A viewing of Untitled can be requested by calling the gallery in advance of your visit.

Beauford at Cannes

Several months ago, I reported that filmmaker Zachary Miller planned to create a short film (under 30 minutes in length) about Beauford. I am pleased to bring you this update on the project.

Miller's film, which remains unedited and untitled as of today, will be showcased in the Short Film Corner at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Showing the film here will increase its chances of being picked up by other international festivals. It will benefit from the use of the label "Short Film Corner," which reinforces its potential and increase its chances of professional distribution.

As part of the Short Film Corner, the film about Beauford will not be in the Short Film Competition. It will be referenced on www.shortfilmcorner.com and in the Catalogue du Court, which is published by the Cannes Film Festival.

The dates for this year's festival and the Short Film Corner are May 16-27, 2012.