Where to Find Beauford's Art: Minneapolis Institute of Arts

During a recent trip to Minneapolis, I had the pleasure of visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This extraordinary museum holds several Beauford Delaney works.

Currently on display is the "famous" raincoat painting, a vibrant abstract that Beauford created using a raincoat fragment for canvas.

Untitled (raincoat painting)
(1954) Oil on raincoat fragment
Gift of Jacques and Solange du Closel
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
It sits on a pedestal that allows visitors to view the rear of the painting, which reveals the seam (center) and pocket (upper right) that bear witness to the origin of the canvas.

Rear of Untitled (raincoat painting)
(1954) Oil on raincoat fragment
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Also on display is one of many paintings in which Beauford depicts Greenwich Village's Washington Square Park. It is being shown as part of a special exhibition entitled American Modernism: Selections from the Kunin Collection.

Untitled (Washington Square Park)
(1952) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The Myron Kunin Collection of American Art is widely considered to be one of the most important privately held collections of American art in the world. Untitled (Washington Square Park) was selected as one of 80 works that the Kunin family has placed on long-term loan to the museum from the ~550 pieces of art in its collection.

MIA holds four additional Beauford Delaney works, all of which are currently on reserve. All were shown in the MIA exhibition From New York to Paris.

Jazz Quartet
(1946) Oil on canvas
On loan from a private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Clamart Red
(1958) Oil on canvas
On loan from a private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Abstract Composition
(1955) Gouache and watercolor
Gift of the Harriet Hanley Estate
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Ciel (Sky)
(1960) Color screenprint
Gift of the Harriet Hanley Estate
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Reid Hall, and the Wells International Foundation are partnering to bring an exhibition of original Beauford Delaney works to Reid Hall in Paris in February 2016! To sign-up to receive information about this show, click HERE.

Beauford's Art: Portraits of Donors to the Reid Hall Exhibition

The February 2016 exhibition of Beauford Delaney works at Reid Hall would not be possible without the generosity and passion of several Paris art collectors. Beauford painted portraits of four of them:

Burt Reinfrank,

Burton Reinfrank
(1968) Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Burton Reinfrank
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Solange du Closel,

Mme du Closel No. 4
(1972) Pastel on paper
G. R. N'Namdi Gallery
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Geneviève Brouard,

Portrait of Geneviève Brouard
(1964) Oil on canvas
Signed on back: Beauford Delaney 1964
Image © Discover Paris!
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

and Robert Tricoire.

Portrait of Robert Tricoire
(1969) Oil on canvas
Image © Discover Paris!
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Portraits of Mme du Closel (now deceased), Robert Tricoire, and Geneviève Brouard will be part of the Reid Hall exhibition. Robert Tricoire, Geneviève Brouard, the family of Mme du Closel, and the daughter of Burt Reinfrank are expected to attend the show.

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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Reid Hall, and the Wells International Foundation are partnering to bring an exhibition of original Beauford Delaney works to Reid Hall in Paris in February 2016! To sign-up to receive information about this show, click HERE.

Beauford at Reid Hall - An Update

In February 2015, I announced that Les Amis had entered into discussion with Reid Hall regarding the organization of an exhibition of Beauford's work. We envisioned this to be the second of a series of exhibitions celebrating the history of African-American artists in Paris (the first being the Romare Bearden exhibition that took place in February 2015).

Courtyard at Reid Hall
© Discover Paris!
Today, I'm thrilled to announce that we have made tremendous progress in organizing the show!

Our working title is Beauford Delaney et Paris: Une évolution prodigeuse (Beauford Delaney and Paris: A breathtaking evolution). It will be held from February 4-29, 2016.

This major exhibition will consist of over 40 paintings and works on paper from Beauford's Paris years. It will hang in La Grande Salle at Reid Hall. This ~1400 sq. ft. room will house Beauford Delaney oils, gouaches, inks, and aquarelles, most of which have never been shown before! All are being loaned by local collectors.

La Grande Salle - Reid Hall - during Bearden exhibition in February 2015
© Discover Paris!
Les Amis is pleased to welcome the Wells International Foundation (WIF), an American non-profit organization, as a partner for the organization and fundraising for the show.

Our collaboration with WIF began with the photographing of Beauford’s works for the catalog. We have engaged Stéphane Lariven of Franconville, France to undertake this critical task. Two out of three planned photo sessions are now complete.

Preparing La Fleuve
© Discover Paris!

Photographing La Fleuve
© Discover Paris!
Part of WIF’s mission is to provide an opportunity for university students to attend the show to explore the influence of African Diaspora culture in France and throughout the world and to promote the benefits of study abroad in Paris for students across the globe. For this reason, we are incorporating a study abroad component into the exhibition.

We have entered into discussion with the University of Arizona regarding the development of an Augmented Reality project that will involve several of the paintings in the exhibition.

If you'd like to support our exhibition with a financial contribution, send e-mail to



Your donation (through WIF) is tax deductible!

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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and Reid Hall are partnering to bring an exhibition of original Beauford Delaney works to Reid Hall in Paris in February 2016! To sign-up to receive information about this show, click HERE.

Beauford Delaney Plaque Installed at Hôtel Odessa

The first Beauford Delaney plaque to be approved for installation in Montparnasse is now in place at the Hôtel Odessa on rue d'Odessa in Paris' 14th arrondissement.

Hôtel Odessa entrance
© Discover Paris!
The Odessa was one of the first places that Beauford stayed when he came to Paris in 1953. It was recommended to him during an evening of merriment after a serendipitous encounter with Earl Kirkham, a painter friend from New York, and several other Americans at the Dôme Café. He moved into the Odessa on his second day in town.

The installation of the plaque on the hotel’s freshly painted façade went smoothly. Patrick Fillere of J. Poulain et Fils*, the company that created the plaque, was on hand to supervise.

Patrick Fillere looks on as placement of the plaque is verified
© Discover Paris!
During the installation, two passersby spotted Beauford's name on the plaque. They stopped and begin to discuss between themselves why his name seemed familiar. After asking me a few questions, they came to realize that they had interviewed Beauford for a documentary that they made about Henry Miller in 1971!

Claude Gallot directed the documentary and released it as edition No. 15 of his video magazine Variances. Florence Gruère, award-winning photographer, conducted the interview.

They graciously consented to pose for this photo in front of the plaque.

Florence Gruère and Claude Gallot
at Beauford Delaney plaque installation
© Discover Paris!
Finally, the installation was complete.

Plaque installation complete!
© Discover Paris!
The inscription on the plaque reads:

BEAUFORD DELANEY,

portraitiste et peintre expressioniste abstrait,

né à Knoxville, Tennessee, USA,

a vécu à cette adresse en 1953.
Translation:

BEAUFORD DELANEY, portraitist and abstract expressionist painter, born in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, lived at this address in 1953.
A second plaque, which commemorates the Mille Colonnes restaurant where Beauford frequently took meals, was installed at Hôtel le M in June 2015. Hôtel Odessa and Hôtel Le M are stops on the Beauford Delaney memorial walk created by Discover Paris! entitled "Beauford Delaney's Montparnasse."


*J. Poulain et Fils
19-21 boulevard de Ménilmontant
75011 Paris
Tel: 01 43 79 04 32

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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and Reid Hall are partnering to bring an exhibition of original Beauford Delaney works to Reid Hall in Paris in February 2016! To sign-up to receive information about this show, click HERE.

Beauford's Pablo Picasso Portrait for Auction

Artcurial in Paris has placed Beauford's portrait of Pablo Picasso up for auction.

Portrait of Pablo Picasso
Oil on canvas, 46 cm x 38 cm
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Christian Parramon
The painting is on view at Artcurial on the following dates:

16 October, 11 AM - 7 PM
17 October, 11 AM - 6 PM
18 October, 2 PM - 6 PM
19 October, 11 AM - 6 PM

in preparation for the Impressionist & Modern Art auction (Sale 2796) that will take place on 20 October at 11 AM.

I wrote an article about Beauford and Pablo Picasso last summer. Click HERE to read about Picasso's influence on Beauford's work.

Artcurial is located at 7, rond-point des Champs-Élysées 75008 Paris, France. For more information, contact:

Elodie Landais
E-mail:
Phone: +33 1 42 99 20 84


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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and Reid Hall are partnering to bring an exhibition of original Beauford Delaney works to Reid Hall in Paris in February 2016! To sign-up to receive information about this show, click HERE.