Sonia Delaunay

Sonia Delaunay, whose real name was Sarah Stern, was born in Gradizhsk, Ukraine, in 1885 and died in Paris in 1979. Sonia Delaunay studied drawing at the Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts at the turn of the XXth century before settling in Paris. Her world-famous work stands at the intersection between XXth century art and decorative arts. As a painter, she produced many canvases drawing from futurism, cubism and fauvism, where simple geometric shapes mix with the brightest colours. Modern at a time when art was looking for new paths, including through movements constantly questioning traditions, she formed friendships with the major artists of her day. All had a common goal: to infuse new energy into painting, make it better attuned to its time, more concerned with issues that had been neglected for too long. In partnership with her husband, Robert, she focused on a quest for chromatic purity that, like she did to movement, she could apply to colour.

Simultaneously, she continued to experiment in the area of interior decoration, staying true to her approach of shapes and colours. For her, this work was just as enriching as her usual fine arts practice, neither prevailing upon the other. She created mosaics, stained glass, ceramics. She threw herself into textile design, creating printed dresses inspired from her vision as an artist, and tapestries some of which would be woven by PINTON. Sonia Delaunay’s creations had such an impact that today’s international artists still refer to them.

When PINTON wished to revive its manufactory in Felletin, Sonia Delaunay was one of the first artists collaborating with the firm’s workshops. Delighted to discover a know-how that she ignored, she found in Felletin a new way to express her art. Her textile designs, like her paintings on canvas, take a new direction, between the legacy of the past and a focus on the present.