Getty Exhibition Reveals Hidden Colors in Odilon Redon's Drawing Papers
The exhibition "Odilon Redon: Otherworldly Visions" is currently on display at the Getty Center, running until October 18, 2026. Showcasing works from various locations in California, it features loans from institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and UCLA's Hammer Museum. A collaboration between Getty and LACMA involved conservators Michelle Sullivan and Lucia Elledge, along with curator Danielle Canter. Their research revealed that many of Redon's papers were originally colored, with notable findings in pieces like Getty's Head within an Aureole and the Hammer Museum's Vase of Flowers.
Key facts
- Odilon Redon: Otherworldly Visions is on view at the Getty Center through October 18, 2026.
- The exhibition includes Redon works from across California, with loans from LACMA, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and UCLA's Hammer Museum.
- Getty and LACMA collaborated on a study of Redon's drawing papers, involving conservators Michelle Sullivan and Lucia Elledge and curator Danielle Canter.
- Microscopic analysis of LACMA's Vase of Flowers-Large Composition revealed pink paper pulp with red and blue wool fibers and colored particles.
- Most of Redon's examined drawings were made on colored papers, but many have faded significantly over time.
- Getty's Head within an Aureole contains a high proportion of red fibers, suggesting it was originally on pink paper.
- The Hammer Museum's Vase of Flowers has a high blue fiber content, especially on the verso, indicating a now-faded blue paper.
- Getty senior digital imaging specialist Tarra Wood created digital reconstructions of Head within an Aureole to visualize its original appearance.
Entities
Artists
- Odilon Redon
- André Mellerio
- Michelle Sullivan
- Lucia Elledge
- Danielle Canter
- Tarra Wood
Institutions
- Getty Museum
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art
- Hammer Museum
- Getty Center
- University of California, Los Angeles
Locations
- California
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Santa Barbara