Les Amis de Beauford Delaney is supporting the completion of

BEAUFORD DELANEY: SO SPLENDID A JOURNEY,

the first full-length documentary about Beauford.


Join us in making this video tribute to Beauford a reality!

TO MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION,

CLICK HERE.



Saturday, December 29, 2012

A Birthday Card for Beauford

Artist and singer Joseph Langley was one of the many people who attended the reception celebrating the laying of Beauford's tombstone in October 2010.  Joe created a wonderful video to capture the highlights of that event.

I asked Joe if he would be willing to create an artistic work in celebration of Beauford's birthday (December 30, 1901) and he immediately rose to the challenge.  Here is the painting that he created:

Portrait of Beauford Delaney
Joseph Langley
(2012) Acrylic and pencil on canvas


Click on the image to see the video that Joe created to present this work of art.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUFORD!

To learn more about Joe and his art and music, visit www.josephlangleymusic.com.  

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Merry Christmas from Les Amis de Beauford Delaney!

In 1971 and 1972, Beauford spent Christmas at the home of his dear friend James Baldwin in the fortified medieval village of Saint Paul de Vence.

Image from the Saint Paul de Vence Tourism Office


Because two of the last three blog posts have featured the story of the Beauford Delaney paintings bequeathed to Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries by Baldwin and recuperated from his Saint Paul de Vence home, I thought it appropriate to extend Christmas greetings to all of you with this image of the idyllic hilltop town.

Merry Christmas from
Les Amis de Beauford Delaney!
 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Where to Find Beauford's Art: Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries - Part 3

I am pleased to present this multi-part article about Beauford's works at Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries in Atlanta, GA. Many thanks to Tina Dunkley and her assistant Cynthia Ham for providing the interview and images upon which this article is based.
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The James Baldwin bequest to Clark Atlanta University contained the following paintings by Beauford:
  • Yellow Cypress, 1972, oil on canvas
  • Unknown Portrait (inscription: Saint Paul), 1971, oil on canvas
  • Portrait of James Baldwin*, 1971, oil on canvas
  • Man in Blue, 1972, oil on canvas
  • Abstraction: Yellow and Orange, 1972, watercolor
  • Village (Saint Paul de Vence), 1972, oil on canvas
  • Abstract: Yellow and Red, 1967, oil on canvas
Village (Saint Paul de Vence) is my personal favorite among these works.  It was shown originally shown in the 1973 Darthea Speyer solo exposition of his work and later shown during the solo exposition The Color Yellow mounted by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in 2002.

Village (Saint Paul de Vence)
(1972) Oil on canvas
Bequest of James Baldwin
Image courtesy of Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries

Beauford first went to Saint Paul de Vence in 1971, the year that his nephew Sam died.  Baldwin invited him there to help him deal with the emotional trauma resulting from Sam's death.  He invited Beauford to the property for Christmas that same year. 

Beauford would go to Saint Paul de Vence again in 1972, this time as a result of Richard A. Long finding him in fragile mental condition during Long's visit to France.  Beauford drew sketches of the town during this trip and created Village and other paintings upon his return to Paris.


In Part 4 of this article, read a personal view of several paintings from the Baldwin bequest.

*Some question whether the person depicted in this portrait is indeed Baldwin.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

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


From December 6 through 9, Miami Beach, Florida is hosting the 11th edition of Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the Americas. More than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa will take part, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Thanks (in part) to Aaron Galleries near Chicago, Beauford's work is represented at this prestigious show this year. Aaron Galleries is participating in Ink Miami Art Fair, a contemporary art fair which is unique among Miami’s fairs for its focus on contemporary works on paper by internationally renowned artists.

The gallery has selected two exceptional paintings by Beauford for display:

    Ciel
(1960) Color silk-screen; Edition:  29/36
19 1/4 x 17 inches   

Sollis Toucan 
(1963) Oil on canvas
Signed, dated and titled, on the stretcher
16 3/8 x 13 inches

They describe Sollis Toucan as "a little gem." It was previously owned by New York City artist Don Freeman*, who active was active during the 1930s and 1940s.

Aaron Galleries is showing works by the following artists at Ink:
  • Eldzier Cortor
  • Rashid Johnson
  • Charles White
  • Joseph Delaney
  • Beauford Delaney
  • Sam Gilliam
  • Wadsworth Jarell
  • Margaret Burroughs
  • Elizabeth Catlett
in Suite 165 at the Suites of Dorchester:

Suites of Dorchester 1850 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139
The remaining show dates are as follows:

Saturday 10:00AM- 7:00 PM
Sunday 10:00AM- 3:00 PM
Patrick L. Albano
Aaron Galleries
2011 Tower Drive
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 724-0660 Gallery
(312) 320-0660 Cell
info[at]aarongalleries[dot]com
www.aarongalleries.com

* Freeman's son Roy also owned a painting called Sollis Toucan.  To read his story, click here.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Where to Find Beauford's Art: Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries - Part 2

I am pleased to present Part 2 of this multi-part article about Beauford's works at Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries in Atlanta, GA. Many thanks to Tina Dunkley and her assistant Cynthia Ham for providing the interview and images upon which this article is based.
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Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries
Image from CAUAG Web site

When the shipment arrived in Atlanta, Dunkley began the inventory process anew and was disappointed to find that only twenty-six (26) of the thirty-three (33) works had been sent. Only seven of the eleven Delaney paintings arrived, and some of these were different than the ones indicated on the inventory list.

The shipment contained the following paintings by Beauford:
  • Yellow Cypress, 1972, oil on canvas
  • Unknown Portrait (inscription: Saint Paul), 1971, oil on canvas
  • Portrait of James Baldwin*, 1971, oil on canvas
  • Man in Blue, 1972, oil on canvas
  • Abstraction: Yellow and Orange, 1972, watercolor
  • Village (Saint Paul de Vence), 1972, oil on canvas
  • Abstract: Yellow and Red, 1967, oil on canvas
None are on display at present.

During our interview, Dunkley emphatically stated that Beauford's works, as well as those of his brother, Joseph, are very important. Both Delaneys exhibited their paintings at the historic Atlanta University Art Annual Exhibition, which was founded by Hale Woodruff in 1942. Joseph Delaney won a cash award of $250 during the fifth annual exhibition in 1946 for a painting called East River. He participated in five shows in all (1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, and 1960).
Excerpt from the "School and College News" column
of The Crisis Magazine
June 1946

Beauford Delaney participated once in the Atlanta University Art Annuals in 1951, submitting an oil painting entitled Blue Harlem. Unfortunately, no measurements or images are available for this work.

Dunkley said it is important that CAUAG have works by both Delaneys in their collection for this reason. She does not recall if the galleries have ever hung their works in the same exhibit, but says that she plans to do so in the future. She likes the fact that the color "yellow" became a predominant theme in Beauford's work, and notes that yellow is the primary color used in most of his paintings in CAUAG's collection.

To learn more about CAUAG's historic art collections, click here.

In Part 3 of this article, learn more about the paintings.

*Some question whether the person depicted in this portrait is indeed Baldwin.