KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A new exhibition and the University of Tennessee’s Hodges Library is focusing in on renowned Knoxville artist Beauford Delaney and his work.
In 2022, UT Libraries obtained Delaney’s complete personal archive. Now, a few years later, “Beauford Delaney: Light Beyond the Canvas” is on view in the exhibit area of the Hodges Library, just outside of the Special Collections section.
Funding freeze puts UT programs for veterans, first-generation students at risk
Delaney was born in Knoxville in 1901 and became known for his artistic talent from a young age. UT Libraries explained that Delaney’s work came to the attention of Lloyd Branson, who was at the time, Knoxville’s best-known artist and later encouraged and helped Delaney move to Boston in 1924. Delaney later moved to New York City in 1929 and eventually sailed to Paris in 1953, where he spent the last 25 years of his life.
Although many may know of Delaney by his painted pieces, as he helped revolutionize art in the 20th century through abstract and expressionist painting, he also did some work with pastels and lithography. Two such works were recently sold at auction during the Beck-Met Gala. Another of Delaney’s pieces, titled Pastel Portrait of a Man, sold at auction in 2023 for $48,000…