Beauford Delaney (American, 1901–1979). <em>Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit)</em>, 1945. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Arnold Lehman, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 2014.73. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2014.73_PS9.jpg)

Beauford Delaney (American, 1901–1979). Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit), 1945. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Arnold Lehman, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 2014.73. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2014.73_PS9.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What's the statue here?

This is a work by Beauford Delaney. That scupture is a reference to the Fang peoples of Cameroon.

It's a guardian figure that is thought to embody spiritual powers and connection to ancestors. Delaney himself was not from Africa but he was likely moved by a renewed interest in African culture spurred by the Harlem Renaissance. You might notice that the guardian figure, as well as the bird, has notes of black, red, green, and gold. These are references to the colors of the Pan-African flag.

This work has such interesting textures!

Absolutely! Delaney was interested in conveying emotion through color and brushstroke. This painting is so very different from earlier still life paintings in American art, which tried to show the objects as realistically as possible.

The sculpture in this painting is based on Fang reliquary figures. We have similar sculptures in our African Art collections here at the Museum.

Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit)

Beauford Delaney

American Art

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Radical Care

Beauford Delaney arranged this still-life composition as if it were an offering to the Fang reliquary figure (a ritual object used by Fang peoples from central West Africa) seen on the right. The artist’s vivid colors and energetic brushwork create a sense of vibration—the bowl almost appears to spin, and the figure to rock. Delaney may have seen traditional African art at the Primitive African Art Center in Manhattan or at the Brooklyn Museum.

ARTIST Beauford Delaney, American, 1901–1979

MEDIUM Oil on canvas

DATES 1945

DIMENSIONS 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm) frame: 32 x 37 x 4 in. (81.3 x 94 x 10.2 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Signed and dated lower left: "Beauford Delaney / 45"

COLLECTIONS American Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 2014.73

CREDIT LINE Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Arnold Lehman, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Radical Care

CAPTION Beauford Delaney (American, 1901–1979). Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit), 1945. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Arnold Lehman, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 2014.73. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2014.73_PS9.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 2014.73_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What's the statue here?

This is a work by Beauford Delaney. That scupture is a reference to the Fang peoples of Cameroon.

This work has such interesting textures!

The sculpture in this painting is based on Fang reliquary figures. We have similar sculptures in our African Art collections here at the Museum.