Sonia Delaunay’s stunning “Simultanė” cards, printed by Bielefelder c.1964. The cards were later published in a 2nd Edition by ASS, but these decks are from the Bielefelder 1st Edition. In my opinion, the Simultané cards – in either edition – are as fine as any “art deck” cards of the 20th century. However the cards of this Bielefelder 1st Edition are not seen as often as the ASS cards.

“Simultané can be well seen in this deck of cards, where the colors form the unified contrasts she strove for, never blending colors, but always standing them up against each other, breaking them apart, splitting them with carefully primitive, torn lines of white, searching for all that color means to itself, and to the beholders. And the geometries of the cards, the shapes of the objects, all derive from her exploration of fashion and form, blending external shape with internal shape."

“This deck was originally conceived of in 1939, and a small number of drawings were executed to study the concept. Any plans for rendering it, if they existed at all, were interrupted by war, and the full deck, subtly different in design, didn't see the light of day until 1960, when the University of Bielefeld, one of the first to seriously recognize her contributions to modern art, commissioned her to complete the deck. That she did, and these images are the result. In 1979, the deck was to be published to the world by the Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkartenfabrik (A & S Playing Card Factory), and Delaunay was called in to supervise its production. She died overseeing its final details.”

Each deck has 52 suited cards, plus 3 Jokers. The cards are slightly large bridge size, measuring 91mm x 59mm, and come in the original box.

—courtesy RubyLane