Sonia Terk Delaunay
Ukraine, 1885–1979

Born November 14, 1885, in the Ukraine, Sonia Terk Delaunay (son-yah terk duh-lo-
nay) was a Russian painter, designer, and printmaker. She was the youngest of
three children and in 1890 was adopted by her maternal uncle, Henri Terk. Terk was
a lawyer in St. Petersburg, where she spent her youth.

In 1988, she visited the artist Max Liebermann in Berlin. She studied drawing with
Ludwig Schmidt-Reutter. In 1905, she moved to Paris to study at the Académie de la
Palette. She later became active as a designer of embroideries and book bindings.
She ran a boutique and established herself as a designer of “modern” fashions. Her
work was also commissioned for the stage and cinema.