Multimedia avant garde artist Sonia Delaunay (1885–1979) was a pioneer in abstract art during the changing culture of 1910s- and 1920s-Europe. She crossed artistic and commercial boundaries, working in diverse media and processes, bringing her concepts and designs to fashion, furniture, automobiles, and set designs.  

Born in Ukraine as Sara Élievna Stern in 1885, Delaunay was raised by her uncle in Russia, studied in Germany, and then in Paris where she continued her artistic training.  Here she met her future husband Robert Delaunay and together, they initiated an art movement of vibrant color, light, and rhythmic flow. Termed Simultané or simultanism (also called orphism by poet Guillaume Apollinaire), the style of contrasting interlocking patches of color was inspired by the theory of Michel Eugène Chevreul: colors appear different when placed alongside other colors, that is, simultaneously experienced with other colors. 

In the collection of the AD&A Museum are a series of prints based on drawings by Delaunay in collaboration with Jean Arp and Alberto Magnelli, when they (along with Sophie Taeuber-Arp) were together in Grasse, France. Arp and Taeuber-Arp fled Paris in 1941 during the war, joining their friend Magnelli who was already there, with Delaunay arriving last. (Apollo Magazine) 

The drawings were created in 1942. It wasn’t until 1950 when the entire series was issued as ten color lithographs in the limited edition album Aux Nourritures Terrestres in 1950 by Atelier Edmond et Jacques Desjobert. The Museum is the proud caretaker of one complete album, no. 67 of 150. An accompanying key denotes which artists collaborated on which drawings. Click to see the complete series available on the Museum’s online database.

Delaunay’s name appears three times in the series, indicating her co-authorship with Arp, Magnelli, and all three together. In her collaborative drawing with Magnelli, Delaunay centered a large blue disc, taking up much of the space, from which a red flat semi-circle emerges, complementing Magnelli’s linear black-and-white geometric form (fig 1). Delaunay’s red, blue, white, and muted gold circles and half-circles pulse rhythmically with Arp’s amoeba-esque design (fig. 2).

The final drawing, in which all three artists contributed, bold colors and simplified forms provide a lively dance of abstraction (fig. 3).

Delaunay’s art has since exploded onto the fashion scene, most recently with haute couture inspired by her paintings and designs. The Museum’s holdings, for example, appear as runway looks for many fall 2022 collections. The artist and her timeless abstract style bring together art, fashion, and the culture of yesterday and today. Learn more about Delaunay-inspired sartorial dress in Vogue.

From paintings, to clothing, to cars, and more, Delaunay was fearless with vibrant colors, light, and graphics. A current exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark introduces the extensive range of Sonia Delaunay’s works and various media from 1910s until the 1970s. 

We are saddened by the loss of life, violence, and destruction in Ukraine. We stand in support of the Ukrainian people and culture.

By Sophia Quach McCabe
April 18, 2022