Contents
Sonia Delaunay
Taking abstract colour beyond painting into clothes, textiles, books and everyday design.
Cradle quilt · Bal Bullier
- Born
- 14 November 1885
- Birthplace
- Ukraine, then the Russian Empire
- Died
- 5 December 1979
More people
Sonia Delaunay
Sonia Delaunay was a Ukrainian-born artist based largely in France. Working across painting and design, she explored how adjacent colours create rhythm and movement.
Early life
An international upbringing
Was raised by relatives in St Petersburg and studied art in Karlsruhe before moving to Paris.
Paris experiments
Encountered Post-Impressionist and Fauvist painting while developing her own use of colour.
Career
- 1910s
Simultaneous colour
Worked with Robert Delaunay on an approach associated with Orphism.
- 1914–1920
Spain and Portugal
Spent the First World War abroad and expanded into costume and commercial design.
- 1920s
Fashion and textiles
Ran a Paris design business applying abstract colour to fabric and clothing.
- 1964
Museum recognition
A Louvre exhibition celebrated work by Sonia and Robert Delaunay following their donation.
Selected work
Cradle quilt
A patchwork blanket brought geometric colour into a domestic object.
Bal Bullier
A large painting evokes dancers through colour and rhythm.
Prose of the Trans-Siberian
A folding artist’s book made with poet Blaise Cendrars.
Simultaneous dresses
Clothing treated the moving body as a surface for abstract design.
Beyond the studio
A shared artistic life
Married Robert Delaunay in 1910; their son Charles became a jazz writer and producer.
Preserving an archive
Worked to promote and preserve Robert’s art after his death while continuing her own practice.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Museum or specialist research ↗Photo: Anonymous Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
