Salon de Paris

The Salon de Paris, or the Paris Salon, was of great importance to art in the nineteenth century. For two centuries it was the most important exhibition for visual artists in France. It was necessary for artists who wanted to establish their name to participate in the Salon. In the beginning, the selection was strict, but this changed after the revolution of 1848. And in 1881 the state withdrew completely and the organization passed into the hands of the Société des Artistes Français. Innovative artists were still often refused. The rejected work was then stamped, making it very difficult to exhibit it elsewhere. This resulted in the Salon des Refusés.