Henri Hayden was a Polish painter from Warsaw. He studied engineering while taking art classes at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. It was when he moved to Paris in 1907 that he became part of the group of artists associated with the École de Paris and was credited as a cubist painter. His first exhibition took place at the Galerie Druet in 1911.

After leaving Cubism behind, he developed a more figurative, lyrical way of working, and lithography proved an ideal fit, giving space for his simplified shapes and quiet, thoughtful use of colour. When his studio was destroyed during the Second World War and much of his work was lost, it could have marked an end. Instead, the years that followed brought renewed energy. In the 1950s and 60s, lithographs produced and circulated by Mourlot helped bring his work back into view. These prints found their way into major museum collections, including the Tate, ensuring his art survived the upheaval of the war and firmly placing him within the École de Paris, alongside artists such as Picasso and Braque.