Lot 48

Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Portrait). Circa 1940.

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Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Portrait). Circa 1940.

Estimate: $5,000 - $7,500

Starting Bid: $3,800

(0 Bids)

by Swann Auction Galleries
August 13, 2026 10:30 AM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010

Beauford Delaney
(1901-1979)
Untitled (Portrait).
Color pastels and charcoal on pale gray wove paper, circa 1931.
Signed (indistinctly) and dated "31" in white pastel, lower right recto. With an unfinished charcoal sketch on the verso.

  • Provenance:
    Acquired directly from the artist's brother, Joseph Delaney.
    Private collection, Texas.
  • Dimensions: 25 3/4 x 19 1/4 in. (65.4 x 48.9 cm.), Frame: 33 x 27 x 1 in. (83.8 x 68.6 x 2.5 cm.)
  • Exhibited:
    Beauford Delaney: The New York Years [1929-1953], Philippe Briet Gallery, New York, April 9 - May 28, 1994. (label)

    Notes:
    This sensitive portrait by Beauford Delaney is a scarce example from his early years as an artist in New York. Delaney first moved from his native Tennessee to Boston in 1923, before coming to New York in the spring of 1929. The following year, Delaney had his first solo exhibition Exhibit of Portrait Sketches by Beauford Delaney at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, which included five pastels and 10 charcoal portraits.
  • Medium: Color pastels and charcoal on pale gray wove paper, circa 1931.
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
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$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
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