Beauford Delaney (American, 1901-1979), “Composition,” watercolor on paper abstract expressionist painting featuring green, red, orange, and yellow brushstrokes. Signed and dated in ink “Beauford Delaney 64″ lower right corner. Float mounted onto ivory cardstock and housed in a contemporary silver and gilt frame. Sheet – 14″ H x 10 3/4″ W. Framed – 22 5/8″ H x 18 5/8” W. Third quarter 20th century. Provenance: Private South Carolina collection, originally acquired through Tree Galleries, Chicago. Biography: Beauford Delaney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. An apprentice to artist Lloyd Branson, Delaney was encouraged by his mentor to study art in Boston. In 1929 he traveled to New York and established himself as a prominent artist of the Harlem Renaissance. There he gained the attention and admiration of well known writers and artists such as James Baldwin, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz, and many others. His departure from New York to Paris in 1953, where he would live the rest of his life, also marked his transition from figurative compositions to abstract expressionism, with a focus on color and light. In 1978, the year before he died, the Studio Museum in Harlem initiated its Black Master series with a retrospective of his work. His paintings can be found in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago; the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution, and numerous other museums. CONDITION: Overall very good condition with some light toning and waviness to paper. Light wear and abrasions to frame, losses to lower right corner.