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 MetzingerFernand 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 Artworks

Robert Delaunay (632 results)
Saint-Séverin, 1907

Robert Delaunay

Saint-Séverin, 1907

Sale Date: May 31, 2005

Auction Closed

Saint-Séverin, 1907

Robert Delaunay

Saint-Séverin, 1907

Sale Date: May 31, 2005

Auction Closed

La tour, 1925

Robert Delaunay

La tour, 1925

Sale Date: May 28, 2005

Auction Closed

Etude pour La grande portugaise, 1915

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour La grande portugaise, 1915

Sale Date: May 4, 2005

Auction Closed

Allo!  Paris! (bk by Joseph Delteil w/20..., 1926

Robert Delaunay

Allo! Paris! (bk by Joseph Delteil w/20..., 1926

Sale Date: April 25, 2005

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Saint Severin I, 1923–1925

Robert Delaunay

Saint Severin I, 1923–1925

Sale Date: March 15, 2005

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La tour, 1925

Robert Delaunay

La tour, 1925

Sale Date: March 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Montmartre

Robert Delaunay

Montmartre

Sale Date: November 24, 2004

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Les trois graces, 1912

Robert Delaunay

Les trois graces, 1912

Sale Date: February 8, 2005

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Fenêtre sur la ville, 1925

Robert Delaunay

Fenêtre sur la ville, 1925

Sale Date: December 10, 2004

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Les trois Grâces, 1934

Robert Delaunay

Les trois Grâces, 1934

Sale Date: December 6, 2004

Auction Closed

No. 11, 1937

Robert Delaunay

No. 11, 1937

Sale Date: December 4, 2004

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Vue aerienne de la Tour Eiffel, 1926

Robert Delaunay

Vue aerienne de la Tour Eiffel, 1926

Sale Date: November 27, 2004

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La Salle des Transports du Pavillon des , 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

La Salle des Transports du Pavillon des , 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

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Etude pour le Pavillon des Chemins de Fer, 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour le Pavillon des Chemins de Fer, 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude pour le Pavillon des Chemins de Fer, 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour le Pavillon des Chemins de Fer, 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude pour le Pavillon des Chemins de..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour le Pavillon des Chemins de..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude de l'entrée de la porte des..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude de l'entrée de la porte des..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude pour la façade centrale du..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour la façade centrale du..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

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Etude pour la façade centrale du..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour la façade centrale du..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude de la façade du Pavillon des..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude de la façade du Pavillon des..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude pour la façade latérale du..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude pour la façade latérale du..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

Etude de l'entrée de la porte des..., 1936–1937

Robert Delaunay

Etude de l'entrée de la porte des..., 1936–1937

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed

La grande portugaise (étude), 1915

Robert Delaunay

La grande portugaise (étude), 1915

Sale Date: November 28, 2004

Auction Closed