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Saturday, July 27, 2024

Painting Is a Continuous Flow

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month (formerly known as Minority Mental Health Month).

In thinking about this, I turned to David Leeming's Amazing Grace: A Biography of Beauford Delaney to search for the passage where Leeming describes writings assigned to Beauford by his psychiatrist, Dr. Gaston Ferdière.

Among the quotes in this passage, I found the following one to be particularly poignant:

"Wherever one is, painting is a continuous flow and includes its own sources..."

Below is a selection of Beauford's abstract work that, through fluid lines and swirls, represents this flow across the decades that he lived in Paris.

Untitled
(1956) Inks on paper
45 x 33.5 cm; 17.7" x 13.2"
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled
(1959) Oil on canvas
144.5 x 95.5 cm; 56.9" x 37.6"
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Embrun
(1963) Watercolor on wove paper
Signed and dated "July 19, 1963" in ink, lower right
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled (Abstract Composition)
(1965) Watercolor on wove paper
Signed, dated and inscribed "avec amour" in ink.
Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled
(1970) Gouache
© Artistes sans Frontières/Douglas Petrovic, 2004
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Untitled
(1970) Mixed media on cardboard
Private collection
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Summertime at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

I'm not sure what drew me to Sainte-Anne's Hospital last Wednesday, but it was powerful.

I was feeling exhausted and debating taking a well-deserved nap when I looked outside and saw blue sky in the direction of the hospital. 

Counterintuitively, something told me that I needed exercise more than I needed to sleep.

So, I set out with the intent to enjoy a tour of the grounds where Beauford strolled during his four-year stay at the hospital.

The hospital continues to renovate buildings and improve its landscape. Just past the reception area, an administrative building and the courtyard in front of it look fresh and new. A huge mural celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Fédération Hospitalière de France (FHF - French Hospital Federation), of which Sainte-Anne's is a member.

Administrative building and courtyard
© Entrée to Black Paris

When I visit the hospital, I usually walk straight down Allée Paul Verlaine to Parc Charles Baudelaire. I immediately noticed that this tree-lined thoroughfare had been the subject of recent landscaping - short wooden fences protected new plantings of wood spurge at the base of the trees.

Allée Paul Verlaine
© Entrée to Black Paris

Wood spurge
© Entrée to Black Paris

Something told me to turn off the road and go in a different direction that day. I found myself walking past the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire into the area that borders the rear of the psychiatric nursing facility of the Préfecture de Police.

I was rewarded with the discovery of a medieval garden and a small vineyard!

There is no path to the garden.  You must walk across a long stretch of grass to enter the enclosed area.

Medieval garden - sign
© Entrée to Black Paris
 
Medievel garden
© Entrée to Black Paris
 

The garden is quite small, but idyllic nonetheless.  I was greeted by the gentle fragrance of lavender as I entered this space to take a few photos. 

When I retraced my steps to the medieval garden sign and walked straight past it, I was startled to see the vineyard.  It is planted around a sculpture of Victor Hugo by Georges Bareau.

Grape vines surrounding Victor Hugo
© Entrée to Black Paris

The last time I photographed the sculpture was in 2018.  Nothing remotely resembling a garden of any kind, let alone a vineyard, was there at that time.

Victor Hugo
Georges Bareau
Enameled stoneware
Given to the City of Paris in 1911
Installed at Sainte-Anne's Hospital in 1952
Photo © 2018 Entrée to Black Paris
 

Since then, the hospital has installed a white slab on which the sculpture now sits. They have placed a table and chairs there so hospital personnel and visitors can enjoy the view.

Grape vines surrounding Victor Hugo
© Entrée to Black Paris
 

Near the sculpture, more mature vines are planted on a slope called Coteau "Les Contemplations." (Les Contemplations is the name of a collection of poems written by Hugo and published in 1856.)

Coteau Les Contemplations
© Entrée to Black Paris

 A couple of olive trees punctuate this area as well.

Olive tree (left), grape vines, and mimosa tree (right)
© Entrée to Black Paris
The grapes on the vines in this area are maturing nicely.
Grape vines and mimosa tree
© Entrée to Black Paris
Wine grapes
© Entrée to Black Paris

To date, I have found no information on when the vineyard was planted or what the hospital does with the harvest!

I followed Allée Vincent Van Gogh away from the Coteau. Near its intersection with Allée Paul Verlaine, I discovered a plaque attesting to the bombardment of the hospital during World War I.

World War I plaque
© Entrée to Black Paris
 

It reads "A German artillery shell fell on this wall on May 27, 1918 at 6:30 AM."

Once back on Allée Paul Verlaine, I walked past Parc Charles Baudelaire and found that the shallow trenches that once served as a man made rivulet had been filled with flower beds.

Lion sculpture at Parc Charles Baudelaire in 2019
© Entrée to Black Paris
Lion sculpture at Parc Charles Baudelaire in 2024
© Entrée to Black Paris

Parc Charles Baudelaire in 2024
© Entrée to Black Paris

Continuing down Allée Paul Verlaine, I noted that the façade of the central administration building has been freshly scrubbed.

Central administration building
© Entrée to Black Paris

Going through this building's passageway toward the pharmacy, I turned my gaze toward my favorite sculpture on the grounds - Daphne.

Daphne
© Entrée to Black Paris

The flowers surrounding the pedestal were graffiti geraniums and biennial beeblossoms.

Pink and red graffiti geraniums
© Entrée to Black Paris
Biennial beeblossoms
© Entrée to Black Paris

Because I spent so much time in the area of the medieval garden and the vineyard, I had to move quickly through the rest of my visit to get back to my office for a meeting. Happily, I was still able to take several photos of the flora as I made my rounds before leaving the campus.

Lily of the Nile
© Entrée to Black Paris
Dahlia
© Entrée to Black Paris
Purple lilies
© Entrée to Black Paris
Balfour's Touch-me-not
© Entrée to Black Paris
Gladiola
© Entrée to Black Paris
Plains coreopsis
© Entrée to Black Paris

Perhaps my next blog post about Sainte-Anne's Hospital will be about a mid-winter visit. Then I will have written about all four seasons there.

To read about early spring and fall visits to the hospital, click on the links below:

Early Spring at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

Fall Flowers at Sainte-Anne's Hospital

Saturday, July 13, 2024

Case Antiques Auction Results

Last week, Case Antiques of Knoxville, TN placed four (4) works on paper from the Beauford Delaney Estate up for sale during its Two Day Summer Fine Arts and Antiques sale.

Lot 168:  Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe
(c. 1930s) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $8,000 - $10,000

Lot 169:  Portrait of a Black Man
(1963) Charcoal on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $4,000 - $4,400

Lot 1087:  Portrait of a Man with Glasses and Necktie
(Undated) Pastel on Paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $8,000 - $9,000

Lot 1088:  Istanbul, Turkey
(1966) Ink on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $3,400 - $3,800

All of them sold.

The pastel portraits fetched the best prices of the group: Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe sold for $9,760 and Portrait of a Man with Glasses and Necktie sold for $7,320.

The ink on paper landscape of Istanbul sold for $4,148, and the charcoal on paper portrait sold for $3,416.

All sale prices listed above include a 22% buyer's premium.

For additional information about the sales (the July 6 and July 7 auctions are listed separately), click HERE.

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Case Auctions Offers Four Beauford Delaney Works on Paper for Sale

Today and tomorrow, Case Auctions of Knoxville, TN is offering four (4) works on paper from the Beauford Delaney Estate for purchase during its Two Day Summer Fine Arts and Antiques sale.

Lots 168 and 169 will be auctioned on July 6, 2024:

Lot 168:  Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe
(c. 1930s) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $8,000 - $10,000

Lot 169:  Portrait of a Black Man
(1963) Charcoal on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $4,000 - $4,400

Portrait of a Black Man (signature)
(1963) Charcoal on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator

While I have seen 1930s portraits done by Beauford that are consistent with the style of Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe, I have not seen any 1963 portraits that compare to Portrait of a Black Man.

Lots 1087 and 1088 will be auctioned on July 7, 2024:

Lot 1087:  Portrait of a Man with Glasses and Necktie
(Undated) Pastel on Paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $8,000 - $9,000

Lot 1088:  Istanbul, Turkey
(1966) Ink on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Estimated sale price: $3,400 - $3,800

Istanbul, Turkey (signature)
(1966) Ink on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator


The ink on paper landscape entitled Istanbul, Turkey is signed and dated 1966. 

I have published images of two additional Istanbul landscapes with the same date in past blog posts: an oil on paper in "Beauford in Istanbul" and a watercolor in "Another June Sale."

All the works being auctioned by Case this weekend bear the stamp of Beauford's estate.

For information about the sale, click HERE.