Sonia Delaunay was a French painter, illustrator, printmaker, and designer who cofounded orphism. Named after Greek poet and musician Orpheus, the movement helped pioneer abstract art by seeking kinship between visual art and music.

Born Sonia Terk in Ukraine in 1885, the artist moved to Paris in 1905. She married fellow artist Robert Delaunay five years later, and the two began developing the principles of orphism together. Their abstract works, which featured brightly colored, dynamic discs, represented a break from cubism, the dominant movement of the era.

Sonia Delaunay also made notable contributions to fashion and textile design. She created vibrant, often patterned clothing designs for film and theater productions as well as private clients. Delaunay established her own studio in the 1920s.