French art salons and academies
Encyclopedia
From the seventeenth century to the early part of the twentieth century, artistic production in France was controlled by artistic academies which organized official exhibitions called salons. In France, academies
are institutions and learned societies which monitor, foster, critique and protect French cultural production.
Academies were more institutional and more concerned with criticism and analysis than those literary gatherings today called salons
which were more focused on pleasurable discourse in society, although certain gatherings around such figures as Marguerite de Valois
were close to the academic spirit.
. In 1570 Jean-Antoine de Baïf
created one devoted to poetry and music, the Académie de poésie et de musique
, inspired by Italian models (such as the academy around Marsilio Ficino
).
The first half of the seventeenth century saw a phenomenal growth in private learned academies, organized around a half-dozen or a dozen individuals meeting regularly. By the middle of the century, the number of private academies decreased as academies gradually came under government control, sporsorship and patronage.
The first private academy to become "official" and to this day the most prestigious of governmental academies is the Académie française
("French Academy"), founded in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu. It is concerned with the French language
. In the fine arts, the Académie de peinture et de sculpture
("Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded by Cardinal Mazarin in 1648 and was soon followed by a number of other officially instituted academies: the Académie royale de danse
("Royal Academy of Dance") in 1661; the Académie royale des inscriptions et médailles ("Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Medals") in 1663 [renamed the Académie royale des inscriptions et belles-lettres ("Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Literature" or "Royal Academy of Humanities") in 1716]; the Académie royale des sciences ("Royal Academy of Sciences") in 1666; the Académie d'Opéra ("Academy of Opera") in 1669 [renamed the Académie royale de musique ("Royal Academy of Music") in 1672 and the Académie de musique in 1791]; and the Académie royale d'architecture ("Royal Academy of Architecture") founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert
in 1671.
In 1793 during the French Revolution
the academies were suppressed, but in 1795 the Institut national des sciences et des arts (now the Institut de France
) was established and consisted of three Classes: Sciences physiques et mathématiques ("Physical and Mathematical Sciences"); Sciences morales et politiques ("Moral and Political Sciences"); and Littérature et beaux-arts ("Literature and Fine Arts"). In 1803 under Napoleon the name was changed to Institut national de France, and it was reorganized into four Classes: 1. Sciences physiques et mathématiques; 2. La Langue et littérature françaises ("French Literature and Language"); 3. Histoire et littérature anciennes ("History and Ancient Literature"); and 4. Beaux-arts ("Fine Arts"). The Institut was renamed the Institut de France in 1806 and Institut impérial de France in 1811.
The Institut was renamed again in 1814 under the Bourbon Restoration
to Institut royal de France, and in 1816, the older appellation of "Académie" was revived, when it was reorganized into four sections: the Académie française; the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres; the Académie des sciences; and the Académie des beaux-arts. The last consisted of three subordinate academies, those of painting and sculpture, music, and architecture. In 1833 the earlier class, Sciences morales et politiques, which had been suppressed in 1803 under Napoleon, was revived as a fifth academy, the Académie des sciences morales et politiques.
in the Villa Médicis in Rome
(founded in 1666) which allows promising artists to study in Rome.
and continued from 1667-1704. After a hiatus, the salons started up again in 1725. Under Louis XV
, the most prestigious Salon took place in Paris
(the Salon de Paris
) in the Salon Carré of the Louvre
, but there were also salons in the cities of Bordeaux
, Lille
and Toulouse
.
In 1881, the government withdrew official sponsorship from the annual Salon, and a group of artists organized the Société des artistes français
to take responsibility for the show.
In the 19th century, the salon system frequently incited criticism from artists for the bland or academic quality of the artwork, while radical artists (like Edouard Manet
or Gustave Courbet
) would not be received or would be greatly censored by the "respectable" public. The salon system thus forced radical and modern artists to seek alternative or unofficial exhibition sites. This is especially true for Impressionists
and Fauvism
.
See also:
Paris was also the site of two world exhibitions of decorative arts:
Today, France is host to one of Europe's most prestigious international contemporary art fairs, the FIAC ("Foire internationale d'art contemporain"), and to Paris Photo (an international photography exhibition). Other art fairs and salons include:
See also List of world's fairs.
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
are institutions and learned societies which monitor, foster, critique and protect French cultural production.
Academies were more institutional and more concerned with criticism and analysis than those literary gatherings today called salons
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
which were more focused on pleasurable discourse in society, although certain gatherings around such figures as Marguerite de Valois
Marguerite de Valois
Margaret of Valois was Queen of France and of Navarre during the late sixteenth century...
were close to the academic spirit.
History
Academies first began to appear in France in the RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. In 1570 Jean-Antoine de Baïf
Jean-Antoine de Baïf
Jean Antoine de Baïf was a French poet and member of the Pléiade.-Life:He was born in Venice, the natural son of the scholar Lazare de Baïf, who was at that time French ambassador at Venice...
created one devoted to poetry and music, the Académie de poésie et de musique
Académie de Poésie et de Musique
The Académie de Poésie et de Musique, later re-named the Académie du Palais, was the first Academy in France. It was founded in 1570 under the auspices of Charles IX of France by the poet Jean-Antoine de Baïf and the musician Joachim Thibault de Courville....
, inspired by Italian models (such as the academy around Marsilio Ficino
Marsilio Ficino
Marsilio Ficino was one of the most influential humanist philosophers of the early Italian Renaissance, an astrologer, a reviver of Neoplatonism who was in touch with every major academic thinker and writer of his day, and the first translator of Plato's complete extant works into Latin...
).
The first half of the seventeenth century saw a phenomenal growth in private learned academies, organized around a half-dozen or a dozen individuals meeting regularly. By the middle of the century, the number of private academies decreased as academies gradually came under government control, sporsorship and patronage.
The first private academy to become "official" and to this day the most prestigious of governmental academies is the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
("French Academy"), founded in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu. It is concerned with the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. In the fine arts, the Académie de peinture et de sculpture
Académie de peinture et de sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...
("Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded by Cardinal Mazarin in 1648 and was soon followed by a number of other officially instituted academies: the Académie royale de danse
Académie Royale de Danse
The Académie Royale de Danse, founded by letters patent on the initiative of King Louis XIV of France in March 1661, was the first dance institution established in the Western world...
("Royal Academy of Dance") in 1661; the Académie royale des inscriptions et médailles ("Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Medals") in 1663 [renamed the Académie royale des inscriptions et belles-lettres ("Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Literature" or "Royal Academy of Humanities") in 1716]; the Académie royale des sciences ("Royal Academy of Sciences") in 1666; the Académie d'Opéra ("Academy of Opera") in 1669 [renamed the Académie royale de musique ("Royal Academy of Music") in 1672 and the Académie de musique in 1791]; and the Académie royale d'architecture ("Royal Academy of Architecture") founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
in 1671.
In 1793 during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
the academies were suppressed, but in 1795 the Institut national des sciences et des arts (now the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
) was established and consisted of three Classes: Sciences physiques et mathématiques ("Physical and Mathematical Sciences"); Sciences morales et politiques ("Moral and Political Sciences"); and Littérature et beaux-arts ("Literature and Fine Arts"). In 1803 under Napoleon the name was changed to Institut national de France, and it was reorganized into four Classes: 1. Sciences physiques et mathématiques; 2. La Langue et littérature françaises ("French Literature and Language"); 3. Histoire et littérature anciennes ("History and Ancient Literature"); and 4. Beaux-arts ("Fine Arts"). The Institut was renamed the Institut de France in 1806 and Institut impérial de France in 1811.
The Institut was renamed again in 1814 under the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
to Institut royal de France, and in 1816, the older appellation of "Académie" was revived, when it was reorganized into four sections: the Académie française; the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres; the Académie des sciences; and the Académie des beaux-arts. The last consisted of three subordinate academies, those of painting and sculpture, music, and architecture. In 1833 the earlier class, Sciences morales et politiques, which had been suppressed in 1803 under Napoleon, was revived as a fifth academy, the Académie des sciences morales et politiques.
French Academy in Rome
The Académie de peinture et sculpture is responsible for the Académie de FranceFrench Academy in Rome
The French Academy in Rome is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio in Rome, Italy.-History:...
in the Villa Médicis in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(founded in 1666) which allows promising artists to study in Rome.
Salons as exhibitions
From the 17th to the 20th century, the Académie de peinture et sculpture organized official art exhibitions called salons. To show at a salon, a young artist needed to be received by the Académie by first submitting an artwork to the jury; only Académie artists could be shown in the salons. Salons were started under Louis XIVLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
and continued from 1667-1704. After a hiatus, the salons started up again in 1725. Under Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
, the most prestigious Salon took place in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(the Salon de Paris
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
) in the Salon Carré of the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, but there were also salons in the cities of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
.
In 1881, the government withdrew official sponsorship from the annual Salon, and a group of artists organized the Société des artistes français
Société des artistes français
The Société des Artistes Français is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the Salon....
to take responsibility for the show.
In the 19th century, the salon system frequently incited criticism from artists for the bland or academic quality of the artwork, while radical artists (like Edouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
or Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet was a French painter who led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. The Realist movement bridged the Romantic movement , with the Barbizon School and the Impressionists...
) would not be received or would be greatly censored by the "respectable" public. The salon system thus forced radical and modern artists to seek alternative or unofficial exhibition sites. This is especially true for Impressionists
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
and Fauvism
Fauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
.
See also:
- Salon (gathering)Salon (gathering)A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
- the expression "salon" is also used to refer to literary gatherings - Academic artAcademic artAcademic art is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts, which practiced under the movements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism,...
- Paris SalonParis SalonThe Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
- Main page for the official Salon de Paris - Salon des RefusésSalon des RefusésThe Salon des Refusés, French for “exhibition of rejects” , is generally an exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon, but the term is most famously used to refer to the Salon des Refusés of 1863.-Background:...
- started in 1863 - Salon des Indépendants -started in 1884
- Salon d'AutomneSalon d'AutomneIn 1903, the first Salon d'Automne was organized by Georges Rouault, André Derain, Henri Matisse, Angele Delasalle and Albert Marquet as a reaction to the conservative policies of the official Paris Salon...
- started in 1903
Other major art exhibitions in France
France has been the host of a number on important international fairs and exhibitions:- The Exposition universelle de ParisExposition Universelle (1889)The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
— a kind of World's Fair — was held in Paris in 1889. It was for this fair that the Eiffel TowerEiffel TowerThe Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
was built (1887–1889).
- The Grand PalaisGrand PalaisThis article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
and the Petit PalaisPetit PalaisThe Petit Palais is a museum in Paris, France. Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 to Charles Girault's designs, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts ....
were built as exhibition halls for the Exposition Universelle (1900)Exposition Universelle (1900)The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
.
Paris was also the site of two world exhibitions of decorative arts:
- The Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernesExposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels ModernesThe International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. The term "Art Deco" was derived by shortening the words Arts Décoratifs, in the title of this exposition, but not until the late 1960s by British art critic...
in 1925 launched the style called "Moderne", or "Streamline Moderne" or "Art DecoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
". - The subsequent exhibition, the "Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne was held from May 25 to November 25, 1937 in Paris, France...
", in 1937 saw, to a certain degree, the last flowering of this style; the Palais de TokyoPalais de TokyoThe Palais de Tokyo is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, near the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs the City of Paris and hosts the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris...
was built for this exhibition.
Today, France is host to one of Europe's most prestigious international contemporary art fairs, the FIAC ("Foire internationale d'art contemporain"), and to Paris Photo (an international photography exhibition). Other art fairs and salons include:
- ArtParis - held in the Carrousel du LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
. ArtParis website - SAGA ("Salon des Arts Graphiques Actuels") - specialized in lithography, etching and illustration
See also List of world's fairs.
External links
- Société des Artistes Français (official website of "Le Salon des Artistes Français" )
- Timeline of the Paris salons
- (fr) Informations about Fiac 2009