André Dunoyer de Segonzac was a painter, graphic artist and illustrator and one of most important representatives of the Realistic Painting style. Beginning in 1903 he studied at the École des Beaux-arts in Paris and later at the Académie La Palette on Montparnasse. He started painting still lifes, nudes, and landscapes. In 1910-14 Dunoyer de Segonzac travelled frequently to Spain and North Africa, where he painted mainly dancing and sport scenes. In World War I, he made many valuable artistic and documentary drawings. At the 1924 Olympic Games, he was a member of the jury in the painting category. In 1959 he was one of the participants in documenta 2 in Kassel.
Dunoyer de Segonzac created numerous drawings and etchings of boxers and fight scenes in the 1910s and 1920s. The preliminary studies were mostly pen and ink drawings. Some of the etchings were combined into series. The respective titles could not be identified. On the other hand, the etching Le départ des 100 mètres is documented. However, it was created as early as 1930 and measures 13 x 18 cm.