Now that the Paris Noir exhibition at Paris' Centre Pompidou has closed, Beauford Delaney aficionados are turning their eyes westward to the dazzling monographic exhibition that features roughly 90 pieces of Beauford's work at The Drawing Center in NYC.
The center's Website presents In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney as "New York's first major Delaney museum exhibition in over thirty years and the first ever focused on his drawings—a medium central to his artistic practice."
Though a few oils punctuate the show, the majority of the works on display are rendered in ink, ballpoint pen, graphite, charcoal, pastels, gouache, or watercolor. They span Beauford's entire career from Boston (late 1920s) through Paris (early 1970s).
(1956) Pastel on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
These works are complemented by archival materials that include documentary photographs, correspondence, exhibition brochures, and press clippings.
ON THE INTERNET
Numerous articles, a podcast, and a video blog vividly describe this show, which opened on May 30, 2025.
Financial Times: Beauford Delaney — luminous painter admired by James Baldwin, Henry Miller and Georgia O’Keeffe
WNYC: Don't Overlook Beauford Delaney's Drawings (summary and transcript of Everand.com podcast mentioned below)
(Undated) Oil on board
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Everand.com: "Don't Overlook Beauford Delaney's Drawings" from All of It
(1950) Pastel, watercolor, and charcoal on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Wanafoto: In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney - The Drawing Center, New York
Berkshire Fine Arts: "Beauford Delaney at the Drawing Center: In the Medium of Life" by Rosenfeld
AT THE VENUE
The Drawing Center has organized a bilingual English-Spanish art workshop inspired by the exhibition.
Facilitated by Ada Pilar Cruz, it will be held on July 19 at 11 AM:
See images of the installation on The Drawing Center's Website:
The Drawing Center - Beauford Delaney Installation
and video of it courtesy of the James Kalm Rough Cut video blog on YouTube:
(1945) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Image courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
Elise Ferguson and Dena Novak at SHRINE Beauford Delaney at the DRAWING CENTER
(Commentary begins at 14:43 minutes and runs through the end of this ~40-minute video.)
CATALOG
Find the 220-page catalog (for purchase and/or online viewing) here:
Catalog: In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney
Catalog cover art: Self-Portrait
See below
(1964) Watercolor and gouache on paper
Photo credit: Knoxville Museum of Art
Courtesy Ruth and Joe Fielden, Knoxville, TN
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
By permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney will be on display through September 14, 2025.
The Drawing Center
35 Wooster St
New York, New York 10013
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 12 PM - 6 PM
