The Facts
On September 23, 2026, the Getty Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) announced new research into Odilon Redon's drawings, revealing that the artist frequently worked on pink, blue, and other colored papers that have since faded. Conservators Michelle Sullivan (Getty), Lucia Elledge (LACMA), and curator Danielle Canter (Getty) used microscopy and digital reconstructions to study Redon's pastels and noirs, including Head within an Aureole and LACMA's Vase of Flowers. Their findings are presented in conjunction with the exhibition Odilon Redon: Otherworldly Visions, on view at the Getty Center through October 18, 2026.
The Signal
The findings underscore how much of an artist's original intent can be lost to time, as the colored papers Redon chose for his noirs have faded or yellowed under aged fixative. For collectors and curators, the research is a reminder that material studies can reshape interpretation of even well-known works, and that noninvasive imaging offers new ways to recover lost color. The Getty-LACMA collaboration also models how institutions can pool conservation expertise across collections.
- Artists: Odilon Redon
- People: Michelle Sullivan, Lucia Elledge, Danielle Canter, Tarra Wood, André Mellerio
- Museums: Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hammer Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art
- Locations: Los Angeles
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