Sold and To Be Sold

 SOLD 

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries of Thomaston, Maine held a three-day live auction called August Splendor 2022 last month. On Day 3 - August 28, 2022 - it offered a Beauford Delaney untitled, undated abstract for sale.

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

The online catalog describes the painting as follows:

"Color Composition, impasto oil on canvas, signed lower right, a blended confetti of pale teal, pink and yellow, unframed, SS: 28 3/4" x 23 1/2", very good condition."

The colors in this work remind me of the ones Beauford used in the more vibrantly colored abstract that the Mint Museum purchased a few years ago.

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

The estimated sale price for the work offered by Thomaston Place Galleries was $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $85,000.

The Cleveland Museum of Art has acquired Untitled (ca. 1958), a nearly 5' x 4' oil on canvas as part of its move to increase the number of works in its collection that were created by African American artists.

Untitled
(c. 1958) Oil on canvas
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

 

The museum describes the painting as one of Beauford's "finest and most exuberant achievements."

TO BE SOLD

On October 6, 2022, Swann Auction Galleries will auction Beauford's Ciel, a color screenprint for which 36 prints were made, as Lot number 46. 

Ciel (Sky)
(1960) Color screenprint
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered 22/36 in pencil, lower margin
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Ciel is mentioned in two previous articles on the Les Amis blog:

Where to Find Beauford's Art: Ink Miama Art Fair - Aaron Galleries

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

An image of MIA's print appears in the catalog entitled Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris, published for the museum's 2004 exhibition of the same name.

The estimated sale price for Ciel (Sky) Print no. 22/36 is $10,000 - $15,000.

For information about Swann's sale, click HERE.

Beauford on Obelisk Art History

I occasionally Google Beauford to see what obscure references to his life and art I can find online. Earlier this week, I found a delightful one - a page on a Website called Obelisk Art History.

Obelisk, formerly known as Trivium, is "a place to explore the wildly diverse world of art history." Created by Reed Enger 10+ years ago, it has evolved from a simple classroom resource to a platform with thousands of images, essays, correspondence, projects, and quizzes for those interested in art history.

In the section called "Artists," Enger has built a page called "Beauford Delaney: Capturing the Sacred Light." It features two sentences about Beauford and images of five of his works, most of which are dominated by the color "yellow." The sentences contain links to four other pages on the site, three of which link back to Beauford's page. Clicking on each image takes you to a page dedicated to the corresponding work, and this page also presents a brief paragraph that contains links to additional pages.

Through an innovative function called "The Kaleidoscope," Enger invites visitors to the site to take "a hypnotic journey through art history." On any given page that features a work of art, you'll find a rotating "gear" between the images of the work and the text describing it. Click on it, and you're taken to a new page where the work is transformed into a constantly changing pattern reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. This is absolutely mesmerizing!

Enger selected two abstracts and three portraits for "Capturing the Sacred Light." Here are a few screenshots of the kaleidoscopic images from these works.

Kaleidoscope - Portrait of Howard Swanson

Kaleidoscope - Composition 16

Kaleidoscope - Portrait of Marian Anderson

Kaleidoscope - Abstraction No. 4

Kaleidoscope - Portrait of James Baldwin

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this way this site transforms images of artwork from classical to contemporary into ever changing geometric forms. Write to me at amisdebeauford@yahoo.com to let me know!

Beauford's Studio as Described by Larry Calcagno

Beauford met Larry Calcagno in Paris soon after Beauford's arrival, and the two men became dear friends. They frequently exchanged letters through which they conveyed not only the details of their daily lives, but also their love for each other. 

Calcagno was a painter and as such, he was acutely sensitive to the environment in which Beauford created his art. In a handwritten document, he described Beauford's studio as follows: 

"Beauford Delaney paints with joy each day, sitting beneath an enormous potted tree in his studio in Paris. A white island shining in a grey sea, it is filled with his inner light. Walls, floor, bed and chair, stacks of paintings and memorabilia — all covered with white — draperies, bedsheets, paper, a white shroud ... 

"He puts everything away, literally out of sight — the past, the world, painful histories, frustration, and suffering. He paints with an enormous faith and serenity those he loves, who love him; in his world of white — [indecipherable] moves in a world of new beginnings."

Though Calcagno's document is undated, his description of the tree in the studio implies that he is describing the creative space at Beauford's rue Vercingétorix apartment.

Beauford at his rue Vercingétorix studio
Screenshot from Henry Miller vu par ses amis 

Beauford moved to this address long after Calcagno left Paris, and Calcagno visited him there in 1966 and 1972.

I found this document touching because of Calcagno's description of the emotional state he felt Beauford experienced in painting.  Whether he thought Beauford summoned his faith to achieve serenity in order to paint the people he loved, or that Beauford's faith was strengthened and serenity achieved by the act of painting them, we cannot know.

Find additional posts about Beauford and Larry Calcagno at the links below:

Beauford and Larry Calcagno

Beauford and Larry Calcagno: The Letters 

Larry Calcagno's Portrait of Beauford 

Beauford in Spain 

Larry Calcagno's Portrait of Beauford 

A Boundless Love: Beauford's Letters to Larry Calcagno

One Good Beauford Story Inspired Another

On July 2, 2022, I published a post about a splendid article that Scalawag Magazine published about Beauford.

Today, I'm sharing the backstory regarding this article. 

Elaine Lee is one of America’s leading experts on travel. A San Francisco/Bay Area-based journalist, she has visited 65 countries and completed two solo trips around the world. She is the editor of “Go Girl” The Black Woman's Book of Travel and Adventure," and her website, ugogurl.com, is a leading portal for information on black travel, black travel writing and travel media information. She and I have known each other for many years. 

I subscribe to the UGoGirl newsletter, and on Wednesday, August 31, I was thrilled to receive the message below (reprinted with permission). It is entitled "My Story about Delaney Didn't Make It to Press, but at Least I Inspired Another":

Greetings!

I hope this email finds you well. 

When I visited Paris in 2019, I attended a play called Amazing Grace is Yellow – the Life of Beauford Delaney, Painter, written by Silver Wainhouse. Afterward, I spoke to Monique about the play as well as the documentary that she and Zach (Miller) were working on. I offered to write an article to help publicize their project and the growing resurgence of interest in Delaney's work.

I designed a pitch and sent it everywhere I could think of.  I got nowhere - until I contacted Scalawag magazine, whose editor asked to see the story. Though she did not like it, she liked the idea and assigned the project to another writer, Tyra Seals, who did a fabulous job. 

Photo courtesy of Darthea Speyer Gallery

Even though my story about Delaney didn't make it to press, at least I inspired a magazine editor and another writer to carry out the project. There's no such thing as a small victory!

Below is the link to the story:

Out of the Shadows: The Queer Life of Artist Beauford Delaney

I am grateful to Elaine Lee for her grace and humility in sharing this story with her audience and for allowing me to share it with you!

Elaine Lee at Amazing Grace is Yellow
© Entrée to Black Paris