Hidden Odilon Redon Sketches Discovered Behind Paintings at Fontfroide Abbey

During the removal of two canvases at the Abbaye de Fontfroide last week, conservation teams uncovered sketches by Odilon Redon, concealed beneath them for over a century. This discovery comes just before the exhibition 'Gustave Fayet, Collectionneur-Créateur. Icônes de l'art moderne' at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, scheduled from 9 October 2026 to 8 March 2027. The abbey, which Gustave Fayet (1865–1925) purchased in 1908, was transformed into a center for the arts. Around 1910, Fayet commissioned Redon to create the panels Le Jour, La Nuit, and Le Silence. The newly found sketches, some in color and depicting medieval figures, prompt inquiries into Redon's artistic methods. These grand decorations will debut in Paris alongside 250 works by various artists.