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BEAUFORD DELANEY: SO SPLENDID A JOURNEY,

the first full-length documentary about Beauford.


Join us in making this video tribute to Beauford a reality!

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Saturday, January 30, 2021

Beauford in the Johnson Collection

Housed at the TJC Gallery in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Johnson Collection consists of "1,200 objects with provenances that span the centuries and chronicle the cultural evolution of the American South." The gallery is currently hosting an exhibition called Excellence & Emancipation: African American Artists and the Harmon Foundation, in which two exquisite Beauford Delaney abstracts are hung.

I asked the gallery for an interview about the exhibition and Communications Specialist Anna Chandler graciously responded. Here's what she had to say:

Les Amis: How did TJC come to the decision to mount the Excellence & Emancipation exhibition?

TJC: The Johnson Collection exists to tell the story of Southern art, and we are always interested in following––and sharing––the unique threads that connect the artists in our collection. 

The Harmon Foundation, which recognized excellence in eight fields of endeavor and became best known for its celebration of African American visual artists, profoundly impacted the careers of many artists represented in the Johnson Collection; its history offers a unique framework for curating an exhibition. Excellence & Emancipation allows us to showcase an array of artistic styles and techniques while also providing a rich historical context for our visiting public.

Les Amis: Are all the works shown in this exhibition part of the Johnson Collection?

TJC: Yes, all exhibitions at TJC Gallery, the Johnson Collection’s exhibition space in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, are curated entirely from the collection’s holdings.

Les Amis: Is the exhibition accessible virtually or only through in-person visits?

TJC: Guests can visit the exhibition in-person, and all of the works in Excellence & Emancipation, as well as biographies of each artist on view, are available at thejohnsoncollection.org

TJC’s social media accounts (@thejohnsoncollection on Instagram, facebook.com/thejohnsoncollection on Facebook, and @johnsoncollect1 on Twitter) offer a closer look at the exhibition while it is on view.

Les Amis: Three Beauford Delaney works are part of the collection. How / why did you select Abstraction No. 9 and Untitled to be part of this exhibition?

TJC: Abstraction No. 9 and Untitled are strong examples of Delaney’s fully abstracted works, which are among his most celebrated. Additionally, Abstraction No. 9 demonstrates Delaney’s use of his signature color, yellow, which he called “the color of his sacred light.”

Abstraction No. 9
(circa 1963) Oil on canvas
51 1/4 x 38 1/8 inches
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of the Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina

Les Amis: Is Untitled signed? Dated?

TJC: It is signed in the upper right in pencil; it is not dated.

Untitled
Oil on canvas
51 x 38 inches
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of the Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina

Les Amis: Do you have / can you share the text of the biographies published about Beauford in the 1933 and 1935 Harmon Foundation catalogs?

A PDF of the 1933 catalog is available online. Delaney’s biography in that text is as follows:

Beauford DeLaney, New York - Born 1905 in Tennessee; educated in public schools, and studied art at Massachusetts Normal Art, South Boston School of Art, and Copley Society. Works as telephone operator at Whitney Museum. Exhibited at Whitney Galleries in 1930; 135th Street Branch of N. Y. Public Library, 1930; 42nd Street Branch of N. Y. Public Library. 1932; Cooperative Art Market and Roxy Theatre, 1933. Work shown in Harmon Exhibit of 1933.*

Les Amis: Where/how did you acquire your Beauford Delaney works (private acquisitions, auction…)?

TJC: All three of our Beauford Delaney works were acquired directly from the artist’s estate.

Les Amis: Have you ever loaned any of Beauford’s works for exhibition?

TJC: TJC’s Beauford Delaney pieces have not been a part of any recent exhibitions.

TJC Gallery
154 West Main Street
Spartanburg, South Carolina 29306
Telephone: (864) 594-5834
Website: https://thejohnsoncollection.org/

*Though several images of works shown in the 1933 exhibition are provided in the catalog, Beauford's sole submission - a pastel called Minstrel - is not among them.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Exuberance is Beauty

One of Beauford's favorite writers was William Blake.

I find the following quote by Blake to be a perfect description for many of Beauford's abstract expressionist works:

"Exuberance is beauty."

Below are images of a few paintings and works on paper that I find to be exuberant and beautiful!

Composition 16
(1954-1956) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator


Composition, 1962
(1962) Mixed media on paper
Signed, dated, and dedicated at bottom right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Composition, 1964
(1964) Gouache
Signed and dated at bottom right
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled
(1957) Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator


Untitled
(1964) Oil on canvas
Collection of Elliot & Kimberly Perry
Image by Ashley Phifer
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Saturday, January 16, 2021

The Delaney Brothers: Lives in Art

During Black History Month, the University of Tennessee Downtown Gallery will show works by Beauford and his brother, Joseph, in an exhibition entitled The Delaney Brothers: Lives In Art.  It is being mounted just over twenty years after what was to have been a joint October-November 1970 exhibition opened at the McClung Gallery on UTK's campus. 

 Promotional image from UT Downtown Gallery Website

Due to Beauford's increasing mental instability, he was unable to fulfill his commitment to send paintings to Knoxville, and the show became a solo exhibition for Joseph. 

Beauford's biographer, David Leeming, and Joseph's biographer, Frederick Moffatt, devote 2-3 pages to this event in their respective publications. 

Leeming describes the prospect of creating and shipping the artwork and making the voyage to Knoxville to attend the exhibition as overwhelming for Beauford. He quotes from a letter sent to Joseph in which Beauford praises Joseph's work and explains why he was unable to contribute to the show: 

"My health is good considering all things but I must be careful and many things I would like to do must wait until my condition is more composed." 

Moffatt also quotes passages from the letter, focusing more on the congratulatory nature of the missive: 

"Your time has arrived as it should be, you have not only lifted the Delaneys but also you [have given] to Paris something for your brother Beauford." 

From Leeming, we learn that Joseph sent Beauford photos of the exhibition. 

From Moffatt, we learn that the show was Joseph's first major retrospective and that it consisted of thirty-three paintings and eight drawings.  

Delaney Brothers: Lives in Art will open on Friday, February 5 with a reception hosted by the university from 5 PM to 8 PM. It will be open for viewing on Wednesdays through Fridays from 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM through February 27, 2021. 

There is no cost to attend - entry is free. 

UT Downtown Gallery
106 S. Gay Street
Knoxville TN 37902
Contact: Mike Berry
Email:
Telephone: 865-673-0802

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Beauford's Portrait of a Nude Woman

According to biographer David Leeming, Beauford "revealed himself publicly as a modernist" via a monographic exhibition at the Vendome art gallery in midtown Manhattan in January-February 1941. He presented "new cityscapes" and "trademark" portraits, including a pastel of his mother, Delia. 

 But one portrait in the show was distinctly not "trademark." It was a nude painting of a young white dancer named Jessie. 

Leeming goes on to say that Beauford rarely painted nudes and that when he took classes at the Art Students' League, he was "relieved to discover the unwritten rule that black painters not attend life classes when the female models were white." He identifies Jessie as the girlfriend of James Baldwin's friend, Emile Capouya, and he says Jessie insisted that Beauford paint her. 

Though I have never seen an image of this painting, I believe it is represented in the photograph below.

Beauford in his Greene Street studio, New York City, 1944
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator 

Two paintings are seen, side by side, "behind" the ceiling light in this photo. 

The one on the right is Untitled (The Artist and Woman Seated), dated 1940. It was offered for auction by Swann Auction Galleries in October 2018, but was not sold. The auction catalog speculated that the young woman seated next to Beauford could be Jessie.


Untitled (The Artist and Woman Seated)
1940)
Oil on linen canvas
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The painting on the left appears to be a reclining nude. It may well be the portrait of Jessie.
Beauford in his Greene Street studio, New York City, 1944 - detail
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
 
Beauford's portrait of James Baldwin, Dark Rapture, is seen on the wall above Beauford's head in the photo. 
 
 

Beauford in his Greene Street studio, New York City, 1944 - detail (Dark Rapture)
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
 
It was also shown at the Vendome exhibition.
 
Dark Rapture
(1941) Oil on masonite
Collection of halley k harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

The whereabouts of the nude portrait of Jessie are unknown to me.

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Happy New Year from Les Amis de Beauford Delaney!

I find the untitled painting shown below to be a wonderful metaphor for 2021. 

 

Untitled
(1959) Oil on canvas
Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, USA
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator


To me, it represents a juxtaposition of turbulence and hope ... 

Turbulence through the powerful energy of the swirls that move through the center of the painting, stirring up the atmosphere around it ... 

 and hope because of the colors Beauford chose to represent this energy and atmosphere. 

Instead of using somber hues, he chose white for the energy surge and sky blue for its backdrop. 

Splotches of yellow, peach, rose, and green admixed with the energy channel and surrounding it give me a light feeling and remind me of spring - the season of rebirth and infinite possibility. 

May 2021 be a year filled with powerful, positive energy for you and yours!