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Located on Freemason St. —

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Noon–5 p.m.

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

By Appointment

Tuesday-Thursday

10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Moses Myers House

The oldest Jewish home in America open to the public as a museum offers a glimpse of the life of an early 19th century merchant family.
More about the house

About the Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

Willoughby-Baylor House

Completed in 1794, this former home now presents a mix of art and artifacts. See what's on view

Located in Norfolk

One Memorial Place,
Norfolk, VA
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While You're Here

Visit our Museum Shop
and the Wisteria Cafe.

Perry Glass Studio

A state-of-art facility on the Museum’s campus. See a free glassmaking demo Tuesdays–Sunday at noon. Like what you see? Take a class with us! More about the Studio

Moses Myers House

The home of the first permanent Jewish residents of Norfolk, this historic house offers a glimpse of the life of a wealthy early 19th-century merchant family.
More about the house

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the Library

Weddings & Event Rentals

The perfect place for your big day or special event. Get the details

Take a tour

We offer a number of tours on different topics. More about tours

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

Visit one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

About the Chrysler

Our story spans well over 100 years. See where we began, how we grew, and where we're going. Explore our history

News and Announcements

See what's happening at the Museum, read Chrysler Magazine, and find our Media Center. Read now

Location

745 Duke Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-333-6299

Always Free Parking

Get Directions

Third Thursdays

Live art performances monthly.
See the archive

Studio Team

Meet the brilliant minds behind the Studio.
See the team

Studio Assistantship Program

Further your career and join us in Norfolk.
Find out more

The Masterpiece Society

Learn about this innovative group of museum supporters.
Meet the Masterpiece Society

Planned Giving

Help ensure the long-term success of the Museum.
Learn about planned giving

Historic Houses

Located on Freemason St. —

Open Saturday and Sunday

Noon–5 p.m.

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

By Appointment

Tuesday-Thursday

10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Moses Myers House

The oldest Jewish home in America open to the public as a museum offers a glimpse of the life of an early 19th century merchant family.
More about the house

About the Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

Willoughby-Baylor House

Completed in 1794, this former home now presents a mix of art and artifacts. See what's on view

Located in Norfolk

One Memorial Place,
Norfolk, VA
Get Directions

While You're Here

Visit our Museum Shop
and the Wisteria Cafe.

Perry Glass Studio

A state-of-art facility on the Museum’s campus. See a free glassmaking demo Tuesdays–Sunday at noon. Like what you see? Take a class with us! More about the Studio

Moses Myers House

The home of the first permanent Jewish residents of Norfolk, this historic house offers a glimpse of the life of a wealthy early 19th-century merchant family.
More about the house

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the Library

Weddings & Event Rentals

The perfect place for your big day or special event. Get the details

Take a tour

We offer a number of tours on different topics. More about tours

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

Visit one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

About the Chrysler

Our story spans well over 100 years. See where we began, how we grew, and where we're going. Explore our history

News and Announcements

See what's happening at the Museum, read Chrysler Magazine, and find our Media Center. Read now

Location

745 Duke Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-333-6299

Always Free Parking

Get Directions

Third Thursdays

Live art performances monthly.
See the archive

Studio Team

Meet the brilliant minds behind the Studio.
See the team

Studio Assistantship Program

Further your career and join us in Norfolk.
Find out more

The Masterpiece Society

Learn about this innovative group of museum supporters.
Meet the Masterpiece Society

Planned Giving

Help ensure the long-term success of the Museum.
Learn about planned giving

Collections Menu
Portrait of James Baldwin

Portrait of James Baldwin

Artist: Beauford Delaney (American, 1901 - 1979)
Date: 1965
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
25 1/2 × 21 1/4 in. (64.8 × 54 cm)
Overall, Frame: 32 1/4 × 28 1/4 × 3 in. (81.9 × 71.8 × 7.6 cm)
Classification: Modern art
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Copyright: © Estate of Beauford Delaney, by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator.
Object number: 2015.28
In Collection(s)
Not on view
DescriptionPortrait of American novelist and Civil Rights advocate James Baldwin (1924-1987). Oil on canvas painting, 25 1/2 x 21 1/4 inches in size. It is framed in a plain brown wooden frame with dimensions of 26 3/4 x 22 3/4 inches, 1 1/2 inches deep. The painting is signed and dated in red paint in the lower left corner: BEAUFORD DELANEY 1965. There are exhibition labels on the backing board from the Studio Museum in Harlem and art handlers André Chenue and Ollendorff Fine Arts. The verso of the canvas is inscribed in red: 53 rue Vercingétorix.
Exhibition History"Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective," The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, 1978-79 (cat. no. 18).
1996: "Explorations in the City of Light : African-American Artists in Paris, 1945–1965," The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; Chicago Cultural Center; New Orleans Museum of Art, 1996 (colorpl. 48).
2002-03: "Beauford Delaney: The Color Yellow," Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Anacostia Museum and Center for African History and Culture of Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA., 2002-2003 (cat. no. 19).
Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin: Through the Unusual Door, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN, February 7-May 10, 2020; extended through October 25, 2020.
Label textBeauford Delaney
American, 1901–1979
Portrait of James Baldwin, 1965
Oil on canvas

Intense yellow brings a sacred and redemptive light to Beauford Delaney’s portraits of people he admired, as seen here framing the writer and Civil Rights activist James Baldwin (1924–1987). Though Delaney often exhibited with Harlem Renaissance artists, he preferred the company of intellectual circles in New York’s Greenwich Village. His abstract, colorful, and highly textured paintings found many admirers, including Alfred Stieglitz, Stuart Davis, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Baldwin, who was only a teenager when they first met in 1940. Delaney became a spiritual mentor to the budding writer based on their mutual struggles against poverty, racism, and homophobia, and this portrait, created 25 years later, celebrates their lifelong creative friendship.

Museum purchase 2015.28

Published References Richard A. Long, _Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective_ (New York: The Studio Museum in Harlem, 1978) cat. no. 18. _Explorations in the City of Light: African-American Artists in Paris, 1945–1965_ (New York: Studio Museum in Harlem, 1996) cat. no. 47, pg. 80. Richard J. Powell, _Beauford Delaney: The Color Yellow_ (Atlanta, GA: High Museum of Art, 2002) cat. no. 19, pg. 50. Patricia Sue Canterbury, _Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris_ (Minneapolis, MN: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2004) illustrated pg. 78 (fig. 49). Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitley, _Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power_, (London: Tate Publishing, 2017), pg. 116.