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Artists |
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Robert Delaunay
(1870-1943)
By Wendy Owen |
| Think that you may own a painting by Robert Delaunay? We authenticate, appraise, research and issue certificates of authenticity (COA) and provide consultations for all paintings by Robert Delaunay. |
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Robert Delaunay was a Cubist painter born in Paris, though he also worked in Abstract and Impressionistic styles. Some of Delaunay’s most famous work is bright and colorful, similar to the style of Kandinsky, and composed of geometric shapes and lines. Movement and technology were also frequent themes in his work, in the same vein as the Futurists. In fact, some have credited Delaunay as the creator of “Simultanism” which is an infusion of Cubism and Futurism.
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The Joy of Life, 1930
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Rhythm Color
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Homage to Bleriot, 1914
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Rhythm 3
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Raised by his uncle, Delaunay took up painting at a very early age and showed great talent early on. With no formal training, Delaunay began painting stage sets at the age of 17, and a year later began to take his painting career seriously.
By 1906, Delaunay was already exhibiting at the Salon des Independents and the Salon d’Automne. However, Delaunay would not have his first one man show until 1913. His early work was primarily in the style of the Neo-Impressionists. During this time he also became friends with artist Henri Rousseau and was influenced early on by Cezanne.
Delaunay would often use the Eiffel Tower as a theme in his work, a trademark that he became known for, and his first one in this series appeared in 1909.
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Eiffel Tower, 1911
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The Red Tower, 1911
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Delaunay would also later create a series of paintings he called “windows” which were basically scenes through bedroom windows.
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Window, Eiffel Tower
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The following year he married fellow painter Sonia Terk whom he would also work along side. It was around this time that Delaunay discovered Cubism, and through his exhibitions in Germany, he made a number of contacts with artists Kandinsky. Delaunay was also able to show in the first Blue Rider exhibition through these contacts with his newfound Cubist friends.
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La Ville de Paris, 1912
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The onset of World War I drove Delaunay and his family to Spain, and they eventually settled in Portugal. There they stayed until 1920, designing stage sets and costumes for the opera. During this time, his wife Sonia even began her own business in fashion design. They both returned to Paris in 1921, and Delaunay’s work took on a primarily Abstract style from this point on.
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The Cardiff Team, 1922
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War would again move the family out of Paris during German occupation to nearby Auvergne, but by this time, the artist was suffering cancer. The constant moving took a toll on his health, and Delaunay died in 1941.
During his lifetime, Delaunay created not only oil paintings and costume design, but murals, decoration and even architectural designs for the 1937 Worlds Fair. Delaunay also left behind numerous sketches and is noted by some to be a leading inspiration for the color palate of the Fauves and as inspiration for future Abstract artists.
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La Tour Rouge
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Because Delaunay traveled and exhibited extensively throughout Europe, the possibility for owning one of his pieces is great. His earliest Impressionist-style paintings are lesser known, and it is highly likely that some exist unknown and unauthenticated in private collections.
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Nude Woman Reading, 1915
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Today, Delaunay’s work is housed worldwide, including at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the Pompidou Center in Paris.
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| A Catalog Raisonné has been published, or is being prepared for this artist by one of our experts, Mr. Richard Riss. Works by this artist that we authenticate will be published in either the upcoming Catalog Raisonné or the next edition. If you wish to record one of your paintings by this artist in their Catalog Raisonné, or suspect that you own one of their paintings, please contact us. |
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