Sonia Delaunay-Terk (1885–1979) was a painter and designer who, along with her husband Robert Delaunay and other artists, founded the Orphism art movement. Born in Gradižsk, present-day Ukraine, the artist studied drawing at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe from 1903 to 1905, before moving to Paris, where she attended the Académie de la Palette, where she was inspired by the works of Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh and the Fauvists.

Interested in the study of color, light, and movement, Delaunay-Terk became known for her bold, abstract shapes and geometric shapes. His fascination with the concept of simultaneous contrast was evident in his early collages, book bindings, small painted boxes, cushions, vests, lampshades, and one of his first large-scale works, the Bal Bullier (1912-1913) painting. , which represented a popular Parisian ballroom. At the same time, he produced “simultaneous dresses”, a mix of squares and triangles of taffeta, tulle, flannel, moire, and corded silk. His experiments with colour, art and design were called simultanéisme.

During World War I, she and her husband fled to Spain. While abroad, she traveled extensively, painting still lifes and market scenes, and worked as an interior decorator in Madrid. After returning to Paris in 1920, he continued to produce designer pieces and began working with fabrics and textiles in 1923. After founding his own company, Boutique Simultanée, he showed his work at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Continuing into the 1930s, Delaunay-Terk developed an international reputation, working with department stores in New York and designing costumes for movies.

Throughout his career, he received numerous awards, including the Légion d’honneur. In addition, her work has been included in several prestigious exhibitions and she had the distinction of being the first living female artist to have a retrospective at the Louvre. Today, his work can be seen in institutions around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Museo Nacional Reina Sofía in Madrid. .