Simon Hantaï (born 7 December 1922 in Biatorbágy, Hungary, died 12 September 2008 in Paris) was a Hungarian-born French painter widely regarded as a major figure in postwar abstract art. After studying at the Budapest School of Fine Arts, he moved to France in 1948 and soon became associated with the Surrealists in Paris. While André Breton supported his early work, Hantaï soon broke with the group to develop his own artistic path.

Hantaï is best known for his pioneering pliage (“folding”) technique, which he began around 1960: he folded or knotted large canvases, applied paint to the visible surfaces, and then unfolded them to produce complex abstract compositions where color and blank canvas interact in dynamic patterns. His work developed through several series such as Mariales, Meuns, Études, Blancs and Tabulas — each exploring new variations of this method. Hantaï represented France at the 1982 Venice Biennale and was honored with major retrospectives, including at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Despite his success, he withdrew from the public art world in the early 1980s and lived a more solitary life, though he continued to work privately until his death. His work is now held in major museum collections around the world and is celebrated for its innovative contribution to abstraction.

The present work belongs to the Catamurons series, created shortly after the Mariales (1960–62). In this series, Hantaï densely folds the canvas at the centre and paints only this area, leaving the surrounding surface area untouched, creating an empty frame around the central motif. These compositions are square or rectangular, and centrally focused, with the blue and black pigments contrasted against the surrounding ground.

Marcel Nahmias (1912–1998), founder of Pétrofrance, member of the Resistance, industrialist and art lover, was the first owner of this work. It was acquired at his daughter’s auction.