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Beauford Delaney:
Resonance of Form and Vibration of Color
Collage of Beauford Delaney works (details) © Estate of Beauford Delaney by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator
Beauford Delaney (1901 – 1979) was a consummate artist and a warm-hearted man. He was a great teacher and a great listener. He was psychologically troubled, yet a profound inspiration to many. His life and his talent were gifts to the world.
James Baldwin owed a great deal to his friendship with Beauford Delaney. In The Price of the Ticket, Baldwin pays tribute to this man, whose unshakable example of “courage and integrity, humility and passion” gave him the strength to survive and the ability to hope for a future.
Delaney’s work is found in the collections of some of the most prestigious museums in the U.S.:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
- National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.
The French government owns Delaney paintings, as does the Centre Pompidou, France’s National Contemporary Art Museum. But the artist’s work has yet to achieve the widespread international acclaim that it deserves.
Beauford Delaney 1953 – Photo by Carl Van Vechten