Sonia Delaunay

Biography

Sonia Delaunay and Textile Art: Between Abstraction and Aubusson Tapestry

Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, recognized for her pioneering role in the development of abstract art and Orphism, a movement she co-founded with her husband, Robert Delaunay. Her exploration of rhythm and color led her to transcend traditional mediums and turn to textile art, where she fully expressed her artistic vision. Her collaboration with key figures such as Jacques Damase and the Denise René gallery was decisive in the dissemination and recognition of her works, both textile and pictorial.

In the 1960s, his meeting with publisher Jacques Damase marked a turning point in his career. Fascinated by modern art and convinced of the importance of abstraction in textile art, Damase encouraged Sonia Delaunay to transpose her compositions into tapestries. His research into color and geometric forms found new resonance in this medium. In partnership with the Aubusson workshops, Delaunay created monumental tapestries that translated her paintings and gouaches into vibrant textile works, offering a unique interplay of textures and visual rhythms.

At the same time, his collaboration with the Denise René gallery strengthened his reputation and anchored his work at the heart of the abstract and kinetic art scene. Denise René, a great promoter of geometric abstraction and kinetic art, exhibits Sonia Delaunay’s creations, illustrating the continuity between her textile works and her pictorial research. Through these partnerships, Delaunay embodies her ambition to create a “synthesis of the arts”, where color, movement and form come together to offer a complete visual and tactile experience.

Sonia Delaunay’s impact on tapestry was celebrated in a major retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1972, highlighting the breadth of her textile work and its influence on modern art. In 1964, she became the first woman artist to benefit from a retrospective at the Louvre, confirming her status as an emblematic figure of abstract art and her essential role in the evolution of abstraction.

Discover Sonia Delaunay’s tapestry collection at Galerie Hadjer and explore how this visionary artist reinvented the art of Aubusson through bold compositions and seminal collaborations, pushing back the boundaries between painting and textile art.