Simon Hantai

Simon Hantaï (1922–2008) was a Hungarian-born French painter whose radical experiments with form and colour made him one of the most original figures in post-war European art. Born in Bia, Hungary, Hantaï moved to Paris in 1948, where he encountered Surrealism and briefly worked with André Breton before breaking away to develop his own approach.

In the late 1950s he began his celebrated pliage (folding) method, a process in which the canvas was crumpled, knotted or folded before being painted, then unfolded to reveal intricate patterns of colour and exposed ground. This technique, both systematic and unpredictable, allowed chance and control to coexist, producing works that seemed at once organic and monumental. The pliage became Hantaï’s defining innovation, aligning him with the rise of abstraction in France while also setting him apart for his insistence on process over gesture.

Hantaï’s series — such as the Mariales, Études and Tabulas — show his ability to reinvent abstraction through repetition and variation, often evoking the rhythms of textiles, mosaics or natural growth. Though he withdrew from the public art world for long stretches, his influence endured, inspiring generations of painters to embrace materiality and experiment with procedure.

Celebrated in major retrospectives, including at the Centre Pompidou in 2013, Hantaï is now recognised as a crucial figure in 20th-century abstraction, bridging European traditions with a uniquely inventive visual language.

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Étude

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Étude

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Étude

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Étude

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Blanc

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Blancs

Simon Hantai (1922-2008)

Meun

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Tabula

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Meun

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Blanc

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Blanc

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

M.m. 25

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Étude

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Tabula

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Sans titre

SIMON HANTAI (1922-2008)

Tabula

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Blancs

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Tabula

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Tabula

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Rosée solidifiée

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Laissée

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAI (1922-2008)

Blanc

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Etude

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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Simon Hantaï (b. 1922)

Espaces engourdis

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Étude

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Tabula

SIMON HANTAI (1922-2008)

Tabula

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Peinture

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAI (1922-2008)

Ondes

SIMON HANTAI (1922-2008)

Meun

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Panse

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

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SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Étude

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Meun

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Sans titre (Tondo)

SIMON HANTAÏ (1922-2008)

Panse

SIMON HANTAI (NE EN 1922)

Sans titre

Simon Hantaï (1922-2008)

Tabula