Sonia DelaunaySonia Delaunay's 1972 lithograph - XXè siècle art publication Mourlot1972
1972
About the Item
- Creator:Sonia Delaunay (1885 - 1979, French)
- Creation Year:1972
- Dimensions:Height: 12.21 in (31 cm)Width: 9.85 in (25 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:Good condition.
- Gallery Location:PARIS, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1792213694682
Sonia Delaunay
Pioneering 20th-century abstract artist Sonia Delaunay was known for ignoring the distinction between fine art and applied design. Her body of work encompassed not only paintings and prints but also book illustrations, women’s and men’s fashions, costumes for theater and dance, film sets, wallpaper, furniture and interior decor. More than an expression of her prolific talent, this varied output was her way of erasing the boundary between life and art.
Born Sara Elievna Stern in 1885 to a working-class Jewish family in Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), she was adopted as a child by a wealthy maternal uncle in St. Petersburg, who saw to her well-rounded education. There, she picked up the nickname Sonia.
At the age of 18, she left Russia for Germany to study painting, and in 1905, she landed in Paris, where she enrolled in art school. She soon dropped out but continued creating art, producing canvases strongly influenced by Fauvism. Following a brief marriage to gallery owner Wilhelm Uhde, she married fellow artist Robert Delaunay (1885–1941) in 1910. After the birth of her son, Charles, in 1911, she crafted a patchwork crib cover that she considered her first truly abstract piece.
No matter the medium, Delaunay’s passion was color. She and her husband were the main exponents of Orphism, a branch of Cubism defined by abstract compositions and bright shades. They saw their creations as experiments in Simultanéisme, or Simultanism, a color theory based on the work of scientist Michel Eugène Chevreul (1786–1889), who studied the ways in which a given hue can look different depending on the ones around it.
The Delaunays noted that certain pairings seemed to generate a vibration in the eye of the beholder. They felt that this movement captured the dynamism of modern urban life. The couple generally expressed the ideas underpinning Simultanism in their work with flat, overlapping panes of color. In fact, Sonia’s cradle cover melded their tenets with the traditions of Russian-peasant patchwork (also a big Constructivist inspiration).
Seeking to integrate Simultanism into all aspects of life, she designed other abstractly patterned furnishings for their home, which had become a gathering place for the avant-garde, and she worked the designs into their clothes, too, which she and Robert would wear throughout the city and to dance halls — behavior that today would likely be described as performance. In addition to performance, Sonia’s work presaged many other avant-garde movements, such as kinetic art and Op art.
After the upheavals of World War I and the 1917 Russian Revolution, Delaunay retooled herself and opened a business. Keeping her devotion to color juxtaposition front and center, she launched a fabric and fashion atelier where she created textiles, wearable pieces, interior decor and furniture, sometimes collaborating with cabinetmaker Adolphe Chanaux.
Clients who may have found an abstract painting intimidating or inaccessible could enjoy the bright pattern on a cloche-and-scarf set Delaunay created or the striped handbag she designed. In this way, she brought her art into their everyday lives. Her colorful abstract design on a textile or rug could very well have been applied to one of her canvases and hung on a wall or vice versa.
While many women artists of the period were herded away from the fine arts and toward crafts (think Anni Albers), Delaunay was able to do it all. And what’s also so appealing about her oeuvre, to contemporary eyes, is the sense that Delaunay pursued everything — be it painting or fashion or costuming or furniture or graphic design — with equal vigor, without making distinctions between mediums.
Find Sonia Delaunay art for sale on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: PARIS, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 1958 Original Poster by Alain Gauthier Airline - Royal Air MarocLocated in PARIS, FRThe 1958 original travel poster by Alain Gauthier for Royal Air Maroc encapsulates the essence of adventure and discovery synonymous with air travel to Morocco. With its bold typogra...Category
1950s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- 1962 Original travel poster by Guy Georget - Air France l'IndeBy Guy GeorgetLocated in PARIS, FRThe 1962 original travel poster by Guy Georget for Air France transports viewers to the enchanting realm of India, inviting them to embark on a journey of discovery and cultural imme...Category
1960s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- The original Soviet poster from 1968, "American Imperialism is a World GendarmeLocated in PARIS, FRThe original Soviet poster from 1968, "American Imperialism is a World Gendarme (War, Racism, Provocation...)," stands as a vivid example of Soviet propaganda agitation. This poster ...Category
1960s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- Original lithograph by Poulbot of a scene from the first world war. This lithogrBy Francisque PoulbotLocated in PARIS, FROriginal lithograph by Poulbot of a scene from the first world war. This lithograph is numbered 36/50 and hand signed by the artist. Francisque Poulbot, born in Saint-Denis on Februa...Category
1910s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- Original 1898 lithography entitled "Le Concert" by Henri de Toulouse-LautrecBy Henri de Toulouse-LautrecLocated in PARIS, FRThe original 1898 lithography entitled "Le Concert" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a work of great artistic finesse, capturing both the artist's distinctive style and the elegant scene of society at the time. This lithograph features a well-dressed, wealthy couple in a red theater box. The gentleman is Gabriel Tapié de Céleyran and the lady is Émilienne d'Alençon. The woman is dressed in fur and wears an elaborate black hat, exuding undeniable elegance and sophistication. Lautrec meticulously captures the details of their clothing and expressions, creating a striking depiction of 19th-century high society. This lithograph was commissioned from Toulouse-Lautrec by Ault and Wiborg, American manufacturers of lithographic ink. It was part of a limited edition printed in Paris, with the original zinc plates subsequently shipped to America for printing in the main edition. The four original zinc plates are now housed at the Art Institute of Chicago. This work is all the more remarkable as it is believed to be the only lithograph Lautrec...Category
1890s Art Nouveau Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- 1945 poster - So that France finds the joy of living in the reconquered freedomBy Paul OrdnerLocated in PARIS, FRA very nice and rare poster, made by Paul Ordner 🇫🇷 (1901-1969) a French illustrator and press cartoonist, for the Radical Party in 1945. The Radical Party is a French political p...Category
1940s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph
- Sling-Shots Lit #3By Robert RauschenbergLocated in Washington Depot,, CTlithograph & screenprint on paper & assemblage with Sailcloth, Mylar, Wooden lightbox, fluorescent fixture, aluminum moveable window shade system and Plexiglas Ed. 23/25Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Prints and Multiples
MaterialsMylar, Plexiglass, Wood, Paper, Sailcloth, Lights, Lithograph, Screen
- The Absolute Real - Lithograph by Man Ray - 1964By Man RayLocated in Roma, ITThe Absolute Real is a lithograph realized by Man Ray in 1964. Hand-singed in pencil by the Artist. Lithograph in Red Ink, 1964. Published by Schwarz, the lithograph is part of th...Category
1960s Surrealist Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
- Composition - Lithograph by Mino Trafeli - 1980sLocated in Roma, ITComposition is a Lithograph realized by Mino Trafeli in 1980s. Edition 16/50. Hand signed. Good conditions. Mino Trafeli (Volterra, December 29, 1922 - Volterra, August 9, 20...Category
1980s Modern Abstract Prints
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- Flamingo - Lithograph by Alberto Mastroianni - 1970sBy Alberto MastroianniLocated in Roma, ITFlamingo is a lithograph realized by Alberto Mastroianni in the 1970s. Hand Signed on the lower right margin. Numbered on the lower in pencil. . The artwork represents an interesti...Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
- The Smoker - Lithograph by Gérarde Cochet - 1929Located in Roma, ITThe Smoker is a Lithograph realized by Gérarde Cochet (1888-1969). Hand-signed by the artist on the lower right corner, numbered on the left. Good conditi...Category
1920s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
- Toulouse Lautrec Original Lithograph Famous Political 1800s Collection SignedBy Henri de Toulouse-LautrecLocated in Milwaukee, WI"Lautrec Book: From Au Pied du Sinai written by Georges Clemenceau" lithographs created by the legendary Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. This book, Au Pied...Category
1890s Post-Impressionist Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Mulberry Paper