38 - Colette BELEYS (1911–1988)

Colette BELEYS (1911–1988) The Ruined Abbey of Orval, 1966 Oil on canvas Studio stamp on the back 130 x 89 cm Bibliography: Colette Beleys, Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Jean Bernard Sandler, Éditions d’art Monelle Hayot, 1995, no. 838. Note: Painted in 1966, *The Ruined Abbey of Orval* is a work by Colette Beleys (1911–1988), a French painter whose body of work is distinguished by a poetic and meditative vision of architecture, landscape, and places steeped in history. This oil on canvas depicts the remains of the former Cistercian Abbey of Orval in Belgium, an iconic site where medieval ruins stand alongside the abbey rebuilt in the 20th century. Through a sweeping composition and a nuanced color palette, Colette Beleys captures the monumental and timeless character of the ruins, while emphasizing an atmosphere imbued with silence and spirituality. The large format reinforces the subject’s presence and highlights the artist’s interest in historic architecture.