In the Medium of Life at the Drawing Center makes clear that Beauford Delaney’s drawings are far more than sketches eclipsed by his luminous paintings. Drawing was a vital expression of Delaney’s creative being. In its expansive interpretation of the art form, the exhibition presents his works on paper in both wet (watercolor, gouache) and dry (pastel, graphite) media, welcoming visitors with his 1964 “Self-Portrait.” Delaney’s broad and gestural brushwork shapes his face out of earthy tones with glimmers of red and green. The portrait’s muted palette stands in stark contrast to the golden wall, capturing the artist himself and the radiance of his aura.
Displayed in a vitrine containing archival documents, Delaney’s ballpoint pen sketches of Ella Fitzgerald reflect his deep appreciation for jazz. His practice was nourished by the improvisation and vitality of the music he experienced in Harlem at venues such as the Savoy Ballroom and Café Society. Between 1936 and 1952, he also developed friendships and artistic connections with downtown modernists like Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, as well as Harlem Renaissance figures such as Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.
On the advice of his friend, writer and activist James Baldwin, Delaney eventually relocated to France. There, he continued to blur the boundary between figuration and abstraction, allowing each to infuse the other. His 1961 portrait of his friend Ahmed Bioud, a professor in France, shares the same textured surface and palette of yellows and browns as the untitled 1959 abstract canvas beside it. Seen together, these works express Delaney’s use of color and light to move seamlessly between bringing forth a person and conjuring pure atmosphere.
Beyond the abstract canvases that are alive with vivid color and the energetic portraits are works that open a deeper psychic and cultural window into Delaney’s world. In “Self-Portrait in a Paris Bath House” (1971), he transforms a site associated with gay men’s erotic communities into a theatrical stage, presenting himself in a campy costume against a bold yellow backdrop.
For Delaney, being queer meant living and creating at the margins, where sexuality, race, and modernism intertwined in both visible and concealed ways. More than a personal identity, queerness is a mode of vision defined by the refusal of boundaries and an embrace of what exists in both light and shadow.
Delaney’s portrait of Baldwin is a standout in the show, in part because it illustrates the aforementioned themes so beautifully. Both were Black gay men navigating the anti-Blackness and homophobia of the mid-20th century. Delaney renders Baldwin with extraordinary tenderness so the intimacy of their friendship and their shared queerness shine through. Layered strokes of green, violet, blue, and red blend Baldwin’s features into a prismatic portrait. As their friendship spanned continents and decades, this portrait is a testament to the kinship that grew from their mutual experiences.
Ultimately, drawing was perhaps Delaney’s most intimate and enduring language. These pieces, with their evocative atmospheres of modern life and vibrant color, stand on their own as essential works within his singular artistic vision. The exhibition fulfills its aim to show how drawing served as a space of experimentation for the artist, whose legacy continues to unfold in ever-expanding ways.
In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney continues at The Drawing Center (35 Wooster Street, Soho, Manhattan) through September 14. The exhibition was organized by Rebecca DiGiovanna and Laura Hoptman.
