Celebrating Beauford Delaney!

Oct. 24, 2010 - PRLog -- The French non-profit association Les Amis de Beauford Delaney recently accomplished its primary mission when a group of twenty-four persons gathered at Division 86 of Thiais Cemetery to celebrate the life and work of Beauford Delaney by inaugurating the painter’s new tombstone.

Beauford Delaney (1901-1979) was a figurative and abstract expressionist painter from Knoxville, Tennessee who moved to Paris in 1953.  What began as a one month trip for Delaney became a lifelong stay in the French capital.  He created some of his greatest works during his “Paris years,” even as mental illness slowly eroded the quality of his life. Institutionalized at the psychiatric hospital of Sainte-Anne in Paris’ 14th arrondissement (district) in 1975, he died there four years later.

Delaney’s great friend James Baldwin wanted him buried at Montparnasse Cemetery, the closest cemetery to the area in which Delaney lived most of his life in Paris and the final resting place of numerous famous artists.  But finances would only permit a burial – without a tombstone – at the more modest Parisian cemetery of Thiais  (http://lesamisdebeauforddelaney.blogspot.com/2010/02/beau...), which is located in the Paris suburb of the same name.

In 2009, friends of Delaney enlisted the aid of Monique Y. Wells to preserve his gravesite, which was in danger of being exhumed.  Wells founded the non-profit association Les Amis de Beauford Delaney to undertake the fundraising task required to ensure that Delaney would continue to rest in peace at Thiais Cemetery.

After she collected the small sum of money from Delaney’s friends to renew the lease on the gravesite, Wells launched the fundraising effort for the tombstone through Les Amis de Beauford Delaney.  Sufficient money was raised by June for Les Amis to order the stone and have it installed.  

The inscription reads:  

Beauford Delaney
Peintre • Painter
30 December 1901 - 26 March 1979
Born: Knoxville, Tennessee USA
Died: Paris, France
"I am home"
 
The inauguration of the tombstone took place on the afternoon of October 14, 2010.

The Reverend Doctor Scott Herr from the American Church delivered a brief opening statement and read two of Delaney’s favorite scriptures – Psalm 23 and 1 Corinthians 13.  Three personal friends of Delaney – Velma Bury, Colin Gravois, and Richard Gibson – gave tributes to him.  Singer ferricia-fatia then poured a libation in his honor and sang a beautiful rendition of “Come Sunday,” with Sabine Boyer accompanying her on the flute.  

Wells briefly recounted how she came to understand and appreciate the essence of the man whose cause she had championed.  She then laid an arrangement of yellow roses on the tombstone.  

The ceremony ended with Reverend Herr reciting Richard A. Long’s poem “Ascending,” which was written in Delaney’s honor, and saying a final prayer.  Participants took another few minutes to admire the tombstone, and then returned to Paris for a reception that was co-hosted by Les Amis de Beauford Delaney and the U.S. Embassy’s Department of Public Affairs.

Guests were greeted graciously by U.S. Embassy staff at the gate to the Hôtel Talleyrand (http://lesamisdebeauforddelaney.blogspot.com/2010/10/cele...) on rue Saint-Florentin in the 1st arrondissement, home of the George C. Marshall Center.  They were led up the grand staircase into the State Office, where refreshment awaited them.

Approximately fifty persons gathered for the celebration of Delaney’s life and art that evening.  As president of Les Amis de Beauford Delaney, Wells welcomed everyone, and then presented the U.S. Mission’s new Cultural Attaché, Rafik Mansour. Mr. Mansour spoke eloquently about the African-American presence in Paris, and how Delaney was a perfect example of this presence.  Ammon Hall-Moore sang “God Bless the Child,” followed by personal tributes from Velma Bury and Richard Gibson.  ferricia-fatia (vocals) and Sabine Boyer (flute) then performed a moving rendition of “Freedom Day.”  

To end the evening, Wells presented a slide show entitled “Beauford Delaney: From Paris to Beyond” – giving an overview of Beauford’s life that concentrated on his favorite haunts and his studios in Paris, and providing an introduction to his art.  She then described the events leading up to the installation of Delaney’s tombstone, and briefly discussed what projects Les Amis de Beauford Delaney might undertake in the future.

See the following link for a video of scenes from the reception:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVKlFQGj6ZM



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Les Amis de Beauford Delaney (English translation: Friends of Beauford Delaney) is a small, French non-profit organization (Association 1901) that was created in November 2009. The following are the goals of our organization:

1) Placement and maintenance of a tombstone for the grave of painter Beauford
Delaney, who is buried at the Parisian Cemetery of Thiais.

2) Payment of the renewal fees for his grave.

3) Organization of commemorative or educational events in his honor.

4) Inform the press and the media of his life and accomplishments.