Sonia Delaunay in exile. On the lightness of art in times of “apocalyptic slaughter”

The painter Sonia Delaunay (1885—1979), an international star of avant-garde textile art and fashion from 1925 to 1930, went into exile with her husband Robert. Robert dies in Montpellier on October 25, 1941, Sonia lives in the perfume town of Grasse from 1941 to 1944.

Creativity remains (over) vital for them, despite torn networks, scarcity of materials and a lack of an art market. That is why she participates in art projects of the “Grasse Group” with Alberto Magnelli and the Arps. She also restores Robert's paintings, works on her gouaches and textile drawings — and listens to stations from the Resistance and Nazi propaganda. On November 1, 1944, she returned to liberated Paris, where other struggles began for her.

Speaker: Margarete Zimmermann, Berlin

Fashion program theme Fashion 2026/2027 for download (PDF, 700 KB)

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