Soho House Paris

Sonia Delaunay and my grandfather were both born in the same period of the Russian Empire (1880s). While not predominantly a painter, Theodore’s included costume design for the stage and their styles have an intriguing similarity. What is noteworthy is that Sonia, born in an area that is now Ukraine, was inspired by something traditional - customary quilts she saw as a child - yet her artistic vision was in sharp contrast with the movements of that time. Theodore, as well, pushed the boundaries of traditional Shakespearean interpretation in his plays. They both show us that being avant-garde does not mean we invent something totally novel. Quite the contrary - As Owen Jones, author of la Grammaire de l’ornement (1856), wrote: “It is impossible to do something new without the aid of the past.” We can both shed the restrictions of the status quo while still drawing inspiration from the past to reimagine what is there. In this way, we continually renew and remake the world around us despite the fact that very little is truly new. #soniadelaunay #avantgarde