Paris Salon

The Paris Salon was the official art exhibition organized by France’s royal or state art institutions, usually held annually or biennially. It shaped artistic careers and public taste through its jury, displays, and awards.

Académie des Beaux-Arts: A French institution that oversees arts academies and awards, continuing the authority of the royal academies. Its members helped govern the Salon’s institutional structure and artistic standards.
Paris Salon of 1667: The first exhibition generally recognized as the Paris Salon, organized by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. It established the exhibition tradition that later became the official Salon.
Édouard Manet: A French painter whose modern subjects and direct style challenged academic conventions in the nineteenth century. His works provoked Salon controversy and became touchstones in debates over modern painting.
Salon des Indépendants: An annual Paris art exhibition founded in 1884 without a selection jury or awards. Its open admission directly rejected the official Salon’s jury-based gatekeeping.
Academic art: Art made according to the methods, subjects, and standards taught by official art academies. The Salon promoted academic standards through its selections, awards, and public prominence.
Salon jury: A committee that selected works for exhibition at the Paris Salon. Acceptance or rejection by the jury could make or damage an artist’s career.
French Academy of Painting and Sculpture: A royal institution founded in 1648 to regulate painting and sculpture in France. The Academy organized early Salons and supplied their academic authority.
Gustave Courbet: A French painter associated with Realism, known for depicting contemporary life on a monumental scale. His disputes with official art institutions culminated in an independent exhibition beside the 1855 Salon.
Société des Artistes Indépendants: An artists’ association founded in Paris in 1884 to organize exhibitions without juries or prizes. The society created a durable alternative to the official Salon’s selection system.
Realism: A nineteenth-century art movement that portrayed contemporary life without idealizing its subjects. Realist works tested whether the Salon would accept modern subjects and social realities.

Linked from 28 pages