Monique Y. Wells is a tireless promoter of the city of Paris, and in particular Black Paris. Her company, Discover Paris!™, was one of the first to offer tours on the topic. Her newest project is an organization dedicated to the memory of Black artist Beauford Delaney—Les Amis de Beauford Delaney. Delaney was an abstract expressionist painter who lived much of his adult life in Paris, and died there. Wells recently discovered his grave in a cemetery just outside of Paris, and collected funds from friends of Delaney to prevent his remains from being exhumed and cremated. Armed with a letter of support from the U.S. Ambassador to France, Charles Rivkin, she now hopes to promote his life and art and to raise enough money to buy a tombstone for Delaney’s gravesite.

If you are in the Chicago area, check out her presentation about the artist at the G. R. N’Namdi Gallery, 110 North Peoria Street, on June 17 at 5:30pm.

So Monique, you have a very impressive resume. Please tell our readers about yourself.

I am an African-American woman from Houston who moved to Paris in 1992. By training, I am a veterinary pathologist and toxicologist.  I consult in pre-clinical safety assessment. In addition, my husband and I own and operate a business called Discover Paris!™

Our mission is to share our passion for the city through self-guided itineraries and private, guided tours that dissect the stereotypes that travelers have about Paris. We launched Discover Paris!™ in 1999.

Monique Wells

What are some of your more unique tours?

One of our special tours is called “Black Images in European Art.” The most popular of these is conducted at the Louvre.  This tour allows participants to see how Black people are depicted throughout the centuries, and learn about European history in the process. The images are a direct reflection of the contact that Europe had with Africa, and the changing notions that Europeans had about black people over time. Many would be surprised that you can find Black people depicted in Ancient Greek art, for example. There are numerous images in paintings as well.

Who is Beauford Delaney? How do most people remember him?

Beauford was a man from Knoxville, TN who devoted most of his life to the art of painting.  He moved from Knoxville to Boston, from Boston to New York City, and from New York City to Paris, all in the pursuit of his art. I believe that what people who knew Beauford remember most about him was his character. They described him as a Buddha, saintly, beatific. He transcended everything.  When you read about him, you will learn about how much people loved him.

Beauford had a very hard life. He was poor all of his life, and even when he had money, he would give it away to people who were less fortunate than him. He suffered from mental illness, which became acutely manifest during the Paris years, and had physical ailments as well. He was diagnosed with acute paranoia in Paris.  Alcohol consumption considerably aggravated his condition.

What about his art?

Beauford began as a portraitist and a figurative painter in Boston and NYC. His work progressed toward abstraction during the later New York years. When he moved to Paris in 1953, he moved more fully into abstract expressionism (though he never abandoned portraiture). Something about Paris led him to embrace this style.

Beauford loved the color yellow. He did many paintings that were predominantly yellow during the Paris years.

Self-Portrait, 1944

Why did his art change in Paris?

I think that part of the reason was the light in Paris. You’ll often hear artists talk about the light here. There is something special about it, and Beauford recognized it as soon as he arrived.

What would be considered his most famous piece that he did in Paris?

There is a portrait of James Baldwin at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian. He also did several self-portraits during the Paris years. One hangs at the Whitney Museum of Art.

If you visit the Beauford Delaney blog, you will find a posting in which I discuss Beauford’s self portraits.  Images of two self-portraits are presented and there are links to two others that show readers how his view of himself changed over the years.

Beauford liked to portray himself as having asymmetrical eyes. People who knew him felt that he had a view of something beyond this world, and that this might be the reason that he painted himself this way. They believe that he was portraying this dual vision of his existence.

Who are the artists he is grouped with?

Beauford is grouped with African-American artists who were in Paris after World War II – people such as Ed Clark, Herbert Gentry, Larry Potter and Bill Rivers. There were a lot of African-American artists in Paris at that time, and many of them painted abstract works. One of the reasons African-American artists came to Paris is because they weren’t labeled as Black artists and did not feel pressure to adhere to American ideas of what Black artists should create. They didn’t have to do genre pieces.

Beauford did not want to be classified as African-American artist, or even as an American artist.  He simply wanted to be known as an artist.

Where can I buy some of his pieces?

Continue reading Saving Beauford Delaney: An Interview with Monique Wells