In 1953, at the age of 52, and just as the center of the art world was shifting to New York, Delaney left New York for Paris.
Europe had already attracted many other African-American artists and writers who had found a greater sense of freedom there.
Writers Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Chester Himes, Ralph Ellison, William Gardner Smith and Richard Gibson, and artists Harold Cousins, Herbert Gentry and Ed Clark had all preceded him in journeying to Europe.
In his journal, Richard Wright described Paris as "a place where one could claim one's soul."

Europe became Delaney's home for the remainder of his life.
 About his new life and possibilities, Beauford entreated himself to "Keep the faith and trust in so far as possible.
Love humility and don’t mind the insinuations that cause sorrow…and loneliness and limitations.
We learn self-reliance and to hear the voice of God, too…and how to…not break but bend gently.
Learning to love is learning to suffer deeply and with quietness."

His years in Paris led to a dramatic stylistic shift from the "figurative compositions of New York life to abstract expressionist studies of color and light."

"Delaney's relationship with abstraction predated the notorious Abstract Expressionist movement, positioning him as a forerunner of one of the most important ideological and stylistic developments in twentieth-century American art.
Although he chose not to identify himself with the movement, as the Abstract Expressionists began to gain notoriety in the late 1940s, Delaney's abstract work increasingly gained attention."

Though abstract expressionist work predominated during this period, Delaney still produced figurative compositions.
His portrait of James Baldwin (1963, pastel on paper) is described by the US National Portrait Gallery as "heated and confrontational, its harsh colors roughly applied" and glowing with "the vibrant, Van Gogh-inspired yellow the artist often used after he moved to Paris."
The portrait "is both a likeness based on memory and a study in light."

Delaney's drive to continuously paint resulted in him using his raincoat when he was out of canvas, "Untitled, 1954" is an oil on raincoat fragment.
In 1953, at the age of 52, and just as the center of the art world was shifting to New York, Delaney left New York for Paris. Europe had already attracted many other African-American artists and writers who had found a greater sense of freedom there. Writers Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Chester Himes, Ralph Ellison, William Gardner Smith and Richard Gibson, and artists Harold Cousins, Herbert Gentry and Ed Clark had all preceded him in journeying to Europe. In his journal, Richard Wright described Paris as "a place where one could claim one's soul."
Europe became Delaney's home for the remainder of his life.  About his new life and possibilities, Beauford entreated himself to "Keep the faith and trust in so far as possible. Love humility and don’t mind the insinuations that cause sorrow…and loneliness and limitations. We learn self-reliance and to hear the voice of God, too…and how to…not break but bend gently. Learning to love is learning to suffer deeply and with quietness."
His years in Paris led to a dramatic stylistic shift from the "figurative compositions of New York life to abstract expressionist studies of color and light."
"Delaney's relationship with abstraction predated the notorious Abstract Expressionist movement, positioning him as a forerunner of one of the most important ideological and stylistic developments in twentieth-century American art. Although he chose not to identify himself with the movement, as the Abstract Expressionists began to gain notoriety in the late 1940s, Delaney's abstract work increasingly gained attention."
Though abstract expressionist work predominated during this period, Delaney still produced figurative compositions. His portrait of James Baldwin (1963, pastel on paper) is described by the US National Portrait Gallery as "heated and confrontational, its harsh colors roughly applied" and glowing with "the vibrant, Van Gogh-inspired yellow the artist often used after he moved to Paris." The portrait "is both a likeness based on memory and a study in light."
Delaney's drive to continuously paint resulted in him using his raincoat when he was out of canvas, "Untitled, 1954" is an oil on raincoat fragment.
Beauford Delaney