When I read Matthew Gailani's article entitled "A Man of His Word - the Life and Art of Beauford Delaney," I was reminded that Tennessee State Museum (TSM) in Nashville holds three works by Beauford and that it loaned its brilliant self-portrait of Beauford to the Knoxville Museum of Art for the Through the Unusual Door exhibition in 2020.
Works by Beauford and Joseph Delaney
© Tennessee State Museum
I contacted Gailani to ask what inspired his article and to inquire about the works that the museum holds. Find the interview below.
Les Amis: What prompted you to write "A Man of His Word: The Art and Life of Beauford Delaney"?
MG: What initially prompted writing the article/blog was encouragement from and conversations with colleagues here at the Museum. We are always looking at ways to highlight more parts of our collection, and digital blogs/content has really helped us do that.
Our museum covers Tennessee history from the geological formation of the state to the present. As a result, articles, and blogs like this allow us to dive deeper into stories like that of Beauford Delaney, as well as other artists, events, and topics.
With all the great work being done in Knoxville by institutions like the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the artist’s estate, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (just to name a few) to preserve and share Beauford Delaney’s art and story, we wanted to write something that acknowledged their work, offered readers a brief overview of Delaney’s life, and highlighted a few of the works in our own collection.
Furthermore, after spending some time down the street at the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library at Fisk University, we wanted to add a bit about some primary research we had done there, particularly regarding Beauford Delaney’s experience with the Julius Rosenwald Fund and that of his brother Joseph Delaney.
Les Amis: What inspired the title of the article?
MG: The title itself I chose because of the letter of recommendation Henry Miller wrote for Beauford for his Rosenwald Fund application. In it, Miller wrote:
I can think of no one more capable or more deserving of this award than the above-named applicant who I know personally, whose work I admire and believe in, and whom I have written about precisely in order to call attention to his merits and his needs. He is indeed qualified to undertake the execution of a mural on the subject indicated. He is moreover, scrupulous[ly)?] and loyal, a man of his word. The encouragement offered in this manner will probably mark a turning point in his career. I cannot say too much in his favor.
Les Amis: Which of the works, if any, is currently on display at the museum?
MG: As of December 18, 2023, the Untitled: Self Portrait by Beauford Delaney (2001.46) is on display in the Tennessee State Museum’s “Time Tunnel” gallery, which is located at the heart of the Museum's permanent galleries.
(1964) Oil on canvas
Tennessee State Museum Collection 2001.46
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
When visitors enter the doors into the permanent galleries, they can follow the “Time Tunnel” all the way down to the start of the “Change and Challenge” gallery. This is where Delaney’s portrait is currently located.
Time Tunnel - Change and Challenge Gallery
© Tennessee State Museum
in the Change and Challenge Gallery
© Tennessee State Museum
With that being said, the Museum is always looking into updating its galleries. As a result, in the future, it is possible the work could be rotated to a different gallery, or even loaned.
Les Amis: Talk about the significance of the Time Tunnel and why Beauford's self-portrait was selected to be represented there.
MG: The “Tennessee Time Tunnel” serves as the backbone of the Museum, combining content rich artifacts, exhibits and stories from our permanent collection with engaging media and thought-provoking interactives for a multilayered experience. Visitors can access the permanent exhibition galleries through different entrances through the Time Tunnel, where they will have the opportunity to experience a more in-depth look at that era of the state’s history.
The inclusion of the Beauford Delaney self portrait in the “Time Tunnel” allows for the artist to be prominently featured in the center of the Museum, while having his work included and displayed with that of other Tennessee artists.
Les Amis: Tennessee State Museum showed Beauford's self-portrait in its exhibition entitled A Creative Legacy: African American Arts in Tennessee in 2014. You loaned the self-portrait to the Knoxville Museum of Art for Through the Unusual Door in 2020. Where else have you shown or loaned Beauford's works in the past?
MG: The following is the exhibition history of the three works owned by TSM:
2001.46
A Century of Progress: Twentieth Century Painting in Tennessee, Cheekwood Museum of Art, Traveling Exhibit Cheekwood Museum of Art, West Tennessee Regional Art Center, The Knoxville Museum of Art, The Carroll Reece Museum, The Morris Museum of Art: (July 13, 2002 - November 17, 2003)
Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee, Knoxville Museum of Art (2008)
A Creative Legacy: African American Arts in Tennessee, Tennessee State Museum, (February 11, 2014 - August 31, 2014)
Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin: Through the Unusual Door, Knoxville Museum of Art (February 7, 2020- May 10, 2020)
2010.230.1 and 2010.230.2
Untitled: Abstract by Beauford Delaney
Paris 1961, gouache and watercolor
Tennessee State Museum Collection 2010.230.1
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Untitled: Abstract by Beauford Delaney
Paris 1963, gouache and watercolor
Tennessee State Museum Collection 2010.230.2
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
From Realism to Abstraction: Tennessee Painting 1920 to 1970, Tennessee State Museum (2015-2016)
Black & White: Knoxville in the Jim Crow Era, East Tennessee Historical Society (2020-2021)
Les Amis: What loans of Beauford's work has the museum committed to make in the future?
MG: While nothing official has been announced for the near future, the Museum is always looking at ways to interpret and display parts of its collection, including working with our partner institutions across the state and country to loan pieces.
Les Amis: What relationship does the museum have with Fisk University and the Fisk University Galleries, if any?
MG: I was privileged to work on an exhibit last year titled Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee. This exhibit was in partnership with Fisk University’s John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, and we worked closely and traveled with staff at Fisk to develop a temporary exhibition and symposium focusing on Rosenwald Schools in the state.
While the exhibit focused on education and school construction in the early 20th century, it also introduced me to the Julius Rosenwald Fund Archives, which are housed at Fisk University. This not only includes information on the Rosenwald School construction program, but the Julius Rosenwald Fund fellowship program, which provided funding to Black artists. Both Beauford and Joseph Delaney were grant applicants in the 1940s.
If it had not been for working with our colleagues at Fisk University and the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library on the previous Rosenwald School exhibit, I must admit I would not have known about the extensiveness of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Archives and the valuable information that is preserved about artists such as Beauford Delaney.
Les Amis: Does the museum intend to acquire additional Beauford Delaney works?
MG: While we have nothing to announce at the moment, the Tennessee State Museum is always actively engaged in looking at potential acquisitions that will advance the Museum’s mission statement to procure preserve, exhibit, and interpret objects which relate to the social, political, economic, and cultural history of Tennessee and Tennesseans, and to provide access to education and cultural programs and exhibitions for the people of the state.
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