André Marfaing was a French painter and engraver born in Toulouse in 1925 and passed away in 1987. He moved to Paris in 1949 and dedicated himself to painting. Very quickly, he shifted towards abstraction, and through his contact with Pierre Soulages, he began to use black almost exclusively in his work.

His artistic practice was ascetic, at times resembling an ideogram. It explores opposites—shadow and light, emptiness and fullness, being and nothingness. "Alongside Soulages, Hartung, and Kline, Marfaing is one of the great masters of black to emerge after the last war, but he handles this color with caution, tenderness, and firmness," wrote journalist Frédéric Edelmann. Towards the end of his career, the relationship between black and white reversed, and the artist allowed more and more space for light.

André Marfaing received numerous awards for his works and notably represented France at the Venice Biennale alongside Poliakoff, Messagier, Guitet, and Manessier. He exhibited in galleries throughout France, as well as in London and Luxembourg. His works have also been featured in public exhibitions, including at Les Abattoirs in Toulouse (2011), the National Library of France (BNF) (2002), and the Museum of Modern Art in Troyes (2001).