Unfolding Color

Presenting numerous works produced across four decades by the painter Simon Hantai, this multifaceted volume pays tribute to a fascinating figure of the Parisian avant-garde.

The painter Simon Hantai (1922-2008) turned chance into a tool. His prominent role within post-war international abstraction is linked to his innovative technique of working on folded canvas with luminous colour. Presenting numerous works produced across four decades, this multifaceted volume pays tribute to a fascinating figure of the Parisian avant-garde.

An encounter with Simon Hantai is always rewarding, as he created an oeuvre that resembles a fireworks display of colour and form. Based in Paris, he became influenced by Art Informel and the work of Jackson Pollock in the 1950s. A radically experimental search for new modes of expression was central to him, and beginning in 1960 he developed the pliage technique, with intensely coloured patterns generated through the chance act of folding. This defined his work and continues to captivate an international audience today.