From Paris and already a respected writer and collector of modern art and 1960 holiday to Najac saw her come across an abandoned Cistercian abbey in the Seye valley - the Abbaye de Beaulieu.
She and her husband saw the possibility of restoring the building to create an arts centre. Having bought the ruins they spent several years on its restoration, then in 1970 held the first exhibition of modern art and despite the remote rural setting the splendour of the abbey and its site attracted many visitors. In 1972 Genevieve Bonnefoi set up the Cultural Association of the Abbaye de Beaulieu in order to spread the word beyond the Seye valley and agreed to donate it to the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, with a considerable part of her collection. But she remained the driving force behind its development.
Many readers will have visited the abbey over the years: the fantastic buildings; the frequent exhibitions of contemporary art, not always to everyone's taste, but always challenging; even the wonderful display of snowdrops around this time.
Just to walk in the peaceful surroundings of this ancient monastery is testament enough to this remarkable woman, whose work is carried on by the association today, but to leave a wonderful addition to our cultural heritage deserves a vote of thanks. She died aged 96 last week.
