After these ten extraordinary and prolific years of creation from one step to another, in 1960 Hantaï adopts his now famous and iconic technique, le pliage comme méthode (the folding method). The canvas is folded and crumpled, all visible parts are painted. Then, the canvas is unfolded and stretched, revealing an all-over surface traversed by areas of reserve. “The pliage developed out of nothing. It was necessary to simply put myself in the place of someone who had seen nothing, in the place of the canvas. You could fill the folded canvas without knowing where the edge was. You don’t know where things stop. You could even go further, and paint with your eyes closed”[1]. The first series of folding painting was The Mariales (1960 – 1962). They were followed by the Catamuron and Panse (1963-1965); the Pré-Meun and Meun (1966-1968); the Etudes (1968-1969), the Aquarelles (1971) and the Blancs series 1973-1974, here on view