Artists

Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Odilon Redon, Gustave Fayet

Press release

Building on its “Icons of Modern Art” exhibitions, devoted to major collectors such as Sergei Shchukin, Mikhail and Ivan Morozov, and Samuel Courtauld, the Fondation Louis Vuitton continues its exploration of the pioneering figures who shaped the history of modern art with an exceptional exhibition: “Gustave Fayet: Collector - Designer”, on view from 9 October 2026 to 8 March 2027. Occupying all the spaces of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, this major exhibition is presented in two parts, examining Gustave Fayet both as a collector and as a designer. It reveals how collecting, creating, and artistic commitment were deeply intertwined throughout his life, and presents a key figure of turn-of-the-century modernity who has long been unjustly overlooked. An exhibition unprecedented in scale and scope, it brings together, for the first time in a century, more than 250 works from Gustave Fayet’s extraordinary collection, now dispersed around the world. They are presented alongside 375 of his own creations, most of them never before exhibited and specially restored for the occasion. Highlights include 10 paintings by Vincent van Gogh, 78 works by Paul Gauguin, 88 works by Odilon Redon, as well as paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Paul Signac, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard and Henri Matisse. The result of several years of research, the exhibition has been made possible through the collaboration of 64 international institutions and 71 private collections. This groundbreaking presentation sheds new light on a prominent figure who has gradually faded into obscurity: Gustave Fayet (1865-1925), a passionate collector, artist and prolific designer who was also a tireless and exceptional entrepreneur and a visionary in the field of decorative arts. Though little known today, Fayet was one of the most influential advocates and pioneers of the avant-garde of his time – a man who played a key role in bringing modern art to the forefront in all its forms. He was among the first to collect works by van Gogh, to exhibit Picasso, and to establish a Gauguin “museum” in his home in the heart of Paris, housing a collection of nearly 200 works and attracting artists and leading collectors of the time. As a close friend and devoted champion of Odilon Redon, Fayet gave him the opportunity to create a monumental decorative ensemble for his abbey in Fontfroide in southern France – a remarkable work which remained largely unknown for many years. Not only was Gustave Fayet an exceptional collector who assembled more than 740 major works of modern art (excluding prints): In the latter part of his life, he was also a designer whose success left a lasting mark on the decorative arts of the early 20th century. A painter, watercolorist, ceramicist, interior designer, designer of rugs, fabrics, and wallpaper, and book illustrator, he represented a generation whose life was permeated in all its aspects by art. His designs, exhibited in leading galleries and major art fairs, attracted influential figures including Paul Poiret, Jacques Doucet, and Jeanne Lanvin. From Art Nouveau to Art Deco, Fayet played a key role in shaping a new aesthetic in which fine art and decorative art seamlessly merged. For Fayet, collecting and creating went hand in hand. This first major international exhibition dedicated to this singular and, in many ways, pioneering figure reveals a rich and multifaceted world and opens a new chapter in the history of early 20th-century modern and decorative arts. This ambitious project brings together a total of 767 works and documents, presented across the exhibition’s two sections.