Bob Mair is the founder/owner/CEO of Black Toast Music, an Indie music publishing company. He is also a musician and composer.
Mair wrote to me a few days ago in search of information about Grèce, one of two paintings shown during the 2016 Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color exhibition in Paris that are currently in his collection.
(1967) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Our lively email exchange about this work inspired me to extend a request an interview, which he accepted.
Read it below.
Les Amis: When did you first learn about Beauford Delaney?
BM: I believe it was 2013 when Jim Levis first showed me works by Beauford. I was enamored by the work but I hadn’t developed quite the eye to understand what I was looking at. I knew the work was good, I could feel it, but I didn’t understand why. His work was so different than what I was collecting at the time. I wish I could go back in time, as those works are now long gone.
Les Amis: What attracts you to his work?
BM: There is something that Beauford understood and was able to capture in his work. It was beyond just the physical and tactile, he was able to paint the essence of things. The people he painted (the portraits) as well as the pure abstract works he painted all had a thread that connected them. I don’t know if he was a Buddhist, but he was able to capture the “no separation”, the entirety of things. The whole of what is. Physical, spiritual, light and dark. And over time, as I have studied the work, I believe that some of the paintings that are perceived as pure abstract are actually portraits. No separation.
Les Amis: When did you begin collecting his work?
BM: I began collecting his work in 2017. I was at a viewing with Jim Levis in Long Island City. Jim had quite a bit of art on the walls - things he knew I was drawn to as well as some things that he wanted to test the waters with to see if I might be drawn to them. I wasn’t so sure about anything he had shown me on that particular day.
My daughter and Jim’s partner, Jamie Black, left the room and went into the hallway. Outside, Jim had a cart of other paintings that were pulled for another client to view after we left. My daughter Rachel said, "Dad, I really like this painting." It was Untitled 1970 by Beauford.
(1970) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
I was so excited. I felt that my earlier sense of Delaney’s work from years ago had been validated. My daughter has a fantastic eye and I felt it was meant to be. So – that was the first Delaney that was added to my collection.
Les Amis: Of the four works that you own, which is your favorite and why?
BM: I really don’t have a favorite. I love them all. Each work stands on its own for different reasons. That being said, in my opinion, these are all stellar works by an amazing man and artist, and I’m very lucky to be the current caretaker of these works. They cover a wide swath of what he experienced, who and what he loved, as well as the fact that they are some of the best examples of the “no separation” understanding that Beauford was able to convey in his work.
Les Amis: What type of research are you performing on Beauford's work and why?
BM: I’m a bit OCD as well as a bit ADD so I love getting hyper focused and going down the “rabbit hole.” I look for hard to find out of print exhibition catalogs, essays, books, museum catalogs, etc. for every artist I collect as well as artists that I’d like to collect. My Art Book collection is quite extensive at this point. It’s a passion.
I love to learn, to expand, to understand all I can in regard to the art, the artists, the struggle, and the history of why there even “was a struggle for them.” These artists experienced things in their lifetime that I will never experience, yet it is so valuable to embrace history and learn from it.
(1969) Gouache on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Les Amis: Did Beauford's work ever influence your work as a musician?
BM: Beauford’s work actually complimented my work as a musician. His work is an extension of my love of jazz. It expresses a deeper expression of what is similar to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, etc.
By having Beauford’s work in my home, I feel a constant reminder of the best of what is and what could be. Having his work hang in my home is like having my walls filled with Zen Koans. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such talent and artistry. The ability to overcome the boundaries that Beauford was faced with is a constant reminder to me as an artist to keep going no matter what.
Les Amis: Do you have any additional thoughts that you'd like to contribute?
BM: I would like to see Beauford Delaney’s work get more interest from museums. His story is so amazing and his work should really be shared with the public on a much larger scale.
I’m a huge fan of loaning artwork so that it’s able to be seen and experienced by others who can learn and open their eyes to what is possible. I love having his work on my walls, but I think it’s selfish to not be willing to share the experience.
(1968) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford’s story and work is a fantastic example of what is possible. I’d love to see a beautiful film created that shows the life and times of Beauford - his childhood, his struggles, his associations with people like James Baldwin, which all culminated in such amazing art.
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