Clarke Auction Gallery - Past Sales of Beauford's Art

Clarke Auction Gallery sold two Beauford Delaney works in 2007 and 2008, as illustrated below.

Street Scene
(1950) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Charcoal of a Black Woman (1929)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Ronan (Ron) Clarke, owner of the gallery, immigrated to the United States from Ireland twenty-six years ago. He settled in Harlem and married an African-American woman. He was introduced to African-American art at that time and has amassed a considerable collection of these works. He sells a lot of African-American art at his gallery.

Clarke operated a flea market in Manhattan "twenty some odd years" ago and developed a strong network of contacts that continues to bring him interesting pieces, but he has not had the good fortune to come across much of Beauford's work. He told me that he felt fortunate to have found both paintings and said that they were "estate fresh":

Street Scene was found on the Grand Concourse. Where it originated, no one knows.

Charcoal of a Black Woman (Flapper girl) came from an African-American woman in the Bronx as well.

Information about the sales can be found on the ClarkeNY.com Web site:

Street Scene

Charcoal of a Black Woman

Street Scene, an oil painting measuring 47" x 36", fetched the highest price of which I am aware for Beauford's work: $176,250.00.