Robert Delaunay

(French, 1885–1941)

Robert Delaunay was a French artist best known for his vibratory paintings of modern life. Interested in conveying a sense of dynamism in his work, Delaunay often chose icons of human progress as motifs for his paintings. “Without visual perception there is no light, no movement,” he once explained. “This movement is provided by relationships of uneven measures, by color contrasts, which constitute reality.” Born on April 12, 1885 in Paris, France, he grew up in an affluent family and apprenticed a theater designer as a youth. Meeting Henri Rousseau in 1903 compelled the young Delaunay to pursue a career in the arts, and he quickly became a fixture in the Parisian avant-garde, alongside Jean Metzinger, Fernand Léger, and Wassily Kandinsky. In 1912, his friend the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, coined the term Orphism to describe Delaunay’s and his wife Sonia Delaunay’s work. Apollinaire repurposed the word which was originally used to describe a mystic sect of ancient Greece that worshiped Orpheus, the lyre-playing poet of Greek mythology. The artist and his wife survived World War I unscathed, despite financial hardships. During the later stages of his career, the artist’s work became increasingly abstract, often consisting only of concentric circles of different hues. Delaunay died on October 25, 1941 in Montpelier, France. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among others.

Robert Delaunay News

Airplane Mode: 7 Artists Who Were Nerds for Aviation

Airplane Mode: 7 Artists Who Were Nerds for Aviation

by Min Chen
Nahmad Family Scion Launches Contemporary Art Space in London

Nahmad Family Scion Launches Contemporary Art Space in London

by Lorena Muñoz-Alonso
artnet Asks: Dickinson Director and TEFAF Picture Section Vice Chairman James Roundell

artnet Asks: Dickinson Director and TEFAF Picture Section Vice Chairman James Roundell

by Lorena Muñoz-Alonso
Germano Celant Crafts Exotic Baroque Style Booth for Gmurzynska at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Germano Celant Crafts Exotic Baroque Style Booth for Gmurzynska at Art Basel in Miami Beach

by Eileen Kinsella

Robert Delaunay Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Robert Delaunay (632 results)
La minho pittoresque, 1915

Robert Delaunay

La minho pittoresque, 1915

Sale Date: May 8, 2008

Auction Closed

Saint-Séverine, 1923–1925

Robert Delaunay

Saint-Séverine, 1923–1925

Sale Date: April 4, 2008

Auction Closed

Allô! Paris! (bk by Joseph Delteil w/20 works)

Robert Delaunay

Allô! Paris! (bk by Joseph Delteil w/20 works)

Sale Date: March 11, 2008

Auction Closed

Fruits, 1940

Robert Delaunay

Fruits, 1940

Sale Date: February 7, 2008

Auction Closed

La ville de Paris (study for La Tour Eiffel), 1911

Robert Delaunay

La ville de Paris (study for La Tour Eiffel), 1911

Sale Date: February 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Les Trois Grâces, étude pour La Ville..., 1911–1912

Robert Delaunay

Les Trois Grâces, étude pour La Ville..., 1911–1912

Sale Date: February 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Cour de ferme à Concarneau

Robert Delaunay

Cour de ferme à Concarneau

Sale Date: December 12, 2007

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (No. 11-1937), 1937

Robert Delaunay

Ohne Titel (No. 11-1937), 1937

Sale Date: November 30, 2007

Auction Closed

La fenêtre sur la Ville, 1926–1969

Robert Delaunay

La fenêtre sur la Ville, 1926–1969

Sale Date: November 12, 2007

Auction Closed

Relief, nature morte, 1936

Robert Delaunay

Relief, nature morte, 1936

Sale Date: October 20, 2007

Auction Closed

Les Ponts a Notre Dame, 1920

Robert Delaunay

Les Ponts a Notre Dame, 1920

Sale Date: June 28, 2007

Auction Closed

La tour d'Eiffel, 1920

Robert Delaunay

La tour d'Eiffel, 1920

Sale Date: June 28, 2007

Auction Closed

Étude d'hélice pour le palais de l'air, 1937

Robert Delaunay

Étude d'hélice pour le palais de l'air, 1937

Sale Date: June 27, 2007

Auction Closed

Saint-Séverin (+ La fenêtre sur la..., 1923–1925

Robert Delaunay

Saint-Séverin (+ La fenêtre sur la..., 1923–1925

Sale Date: June 14, 2007

Auction Closed

La relève du matin (bk by H. De Montherlant..., 1928

Robert Delaunay

La relève du matin (bk by H. De Montherlant..., 1928

Sale Date: May 4, 2007

Auction Closed

Fenêtre sur la Ville, 1926–1969

Robert Delaunay

Fenêtre sur la Ville, 1926–1969

Sale Date: May 5, 2007

Auction Closed

L'homme à la tulipe - Portrait de Jean..., 1906

Robert Delaunay

L'homme à la tulipe - Portrait de Jean..., 1906

Sale Date: May 9, 2007

Auction Closed

Bretonne, 1904

Robert Delaunay

Bretonne, 1904

Sale Date: May 9, 2007

Auction Closed

Saint-Séverine, 1923–1925

Robert Delaunay

Saint-Séverine, 1923–1925

Sale Date: March 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Etude d'hélices pour la façade du Palais de..., 1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude d'hélices pour la façade du Palais de..., 1937

Sale Date: February 8, 2007

Auction Closed

Fleurs, 1908

Robert Delaunay

Fleurs, 1908

Sale Date: February 15, 2007

Auction Closed

Nature morte Portugaise, 1915

Robert Delaunay

Nature morte Portugaise, 1915

Sale Date: February 6, 2007

Auction Closed

Montmartre

Robert Delaunay

Montmartre

Sale Date: October 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Rhythme coloré, 1937

Robert Delaunay

Rhythme coloré, 1937

Sale Date: October 12, 2006

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.