1964 Abstract Sold at ADER Nordmann Auction

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM
LES AMIS DE BEAUFORD DELANEY!

The Paris auction house ADER Nordmann sold a Beauford Delaney work on paper during its Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 13, 2019.

Lot 60 is a predominantly green gouache dated 1964. It may have been one of ten abstract gouaches that Beauford showed in the Copenhagen exhibition called 10 American Negro Artists.

Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom left
75 x 56 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
This piece sold for 8320€, including 28% taxes and charges. The estimated sale price was 3,000€ - 4,000€.

A second abstract by Beauford remained unsold.

To learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.

So Splendid a Journey at the English-language Library in Angers

Robert and Annette Bonnell help organize the U.S. Embassy-supported Speaker Series for the English-language Library in Angers. I was ever so pleased when they asked me to participate in the series and were then able to confirm that I could make a presentation about Beauford and So Splendid a Journey for their last event in 2019!

Despite the chaos that reigns due to the nationwide transit strike, Tom and I were able to board the 6:37 train from Paris' Gare Montparnasse to Angers on the morning of December 13. We were even lucky enough to catch a bus to the train station.

We had a comfortable ride to Angers, a town in western France that is about 190 miles from Paris. We arrived just after dawn. It was our first visit there and we appreciated the architecture and the gentle slopes of the city as we made our way to the library on foot.

Place de la Gare, Angers
© Entrée to Black Paris

Monique in front of the English-language Library in Angers
© Entrée to Black Paris
We were greeted warmly by Phoebe Marshall-Raimbeau, who has been director of the library since it was founded in 1993.

Phoebe Marshall-Raimbeau
© Entrée to Black Paris
After all the technical aspects of the presentation were checked and re-checked, I played the video trailer for So Splendid a Journey.

Playing the video trailer
Image courtesy of Annette Bonnell
Robert Bonnell introduced me, and I gave my talk to the gathering of about 45 persons, most of whom were French!

Introduction by Robert Bonnell
© Entrée to Black Paris
I began by presenting why I care about Beauford, went on to give an overview of his life in Paris and a review of the evolution of his art, and finished by citing the numerous events and activities that preserve and promote his legacy.

After the presentation, a lively Q&A period ensued. I was able to demonstrate the Blippar Augmented Reality app in the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color catalog as one of the means through which Beauford's legacy is being extended.

Demonstrating Blippar for members of the audience
© Entrée to Black Paris
So Splendid a Journey will be the first full-length video documentary that answers the question, "Who was Beauford Delaney"? To support the completion of the video, which we aim to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2020, click HERE.

Bibliothèque Anglophone d'Angers
English-language Library in Angers
60, rue Boisnet
49100 Angers
Tel: 02.41.24.97.07
Website: www.ellia.org

10-year Anniversary of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney Blog

On Monday, 14 December 2009, I published the first blog post for Les Amis de Beauford Delaney:

Welcome!

What an amazing 10-year run we've had!

From raising the money for Beauford's tombstone

Tombstone Inscription
© Discover Paris!
to placing two commemorative plaques on façades in Montparnasse

Hôtel Odessa plaque
© Discover Paris!

Les Mille Colonnes plaque
© Discover Paris!
to working with the Wells International Foundation to mount the Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition,

Catalog cover for Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
and more, Les Amis has done its utmost to preserve and extend Beauford's legacy. I'm proud to say that we have an excellent track record in this regard and that we have no intention of stopping now!

After supporting the recent and successful reading performance of the play Amazing Grace Is Yellow, we are placing all our efforts behind the completion of the full-length video documentary So Splendid a Journey. The trailer was screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the goal is to screen the completed documentary at Cannes in May 2020.

So Splendid a Journey represents the best opportunity to create global awareness of Beauford's tremendous impact as an artist and a human being. To be a part of this inimitable legacy, click on the link below and give to support this production!

Cannes Screening for Beauford Delaney Documentary

Beauford Delaney
1953 - Photo by Carl Van Vechten

Two Beauford Delaney Abstracts Up for Auction at ADER Nordmann

The Paris auction house ADER Nordmann has two Beauford Delaney works on paper listed for sale during its upcoming Art d'après-guerre & contemporain (Post-war and contemporary art) auction on December 13, 2019.

Both date from Beauford's Paris years and were likely created at his rue Vercingétorix studio.

The red and black aquarelle shown below (Lot 59) is dated December 1962. It is somewhat reminiscent of a black and white aquarelle from 1963 that ADER sold at auction last year.

Composition, 1962
(1962) Watercolor
Signed and dated at bottom left
63 x 48 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 4,000€ - 6,000€
Photo courtesy of ADER

Composition, 1963
(1963) Watercolor
Signed at bottom right, dated, and
annotated "Souvenir" at bottom left
50 x 33.5 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Both works may have been part of series of watercolors that Beauford created during 1962-63, through which he experimented with the coalescence of pigments.

Lot 60 is a predominantly green gouache dated 1964. It may have been one of ten abstract gouaches that Beauford showed in the Copenhagen exhibition called 10 American Negro Artists.

Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom left
75 x 56 cm
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: 3,000€ - 4,000€
To learn more about the ADER auction, click HERE.