Galerie Darthea Speyer records

Donated in 2010 by Emmanuelle Gelzer, owner of Galerie Darthea Speyer

When painter Beauford Delaney (1901–1979) arrived in Paris, in 1953, his circumstances were hardly more comfortable than when he left New York City. Accustomed to living near destitution, Delaney made the best of his situation and immediately established himself within a large circle of expatriate artists and writers, including the American cultural ambassador and art dealer Darthea Speyer (1919–2014). Speyer exhibited Delaney's work in her Paris gallery and, from the moment of their meeting until her death in 2010, employed her considerable executive skills to advancing the cause of his life and work. The records of Galerie Darthea Speyer are a trove of information on Delaney's years and cohorts abroad.