Salon of 1867

The Salon of 1867 was an art exhibition held at the Palace of Industry in Paris from 15 April to 5 June 1867. ^[1] It was held during the Second Empire of Napoleon III.

The event was took place the same year as the large Exposition Universelle of 1867. In contrast to the previous Exposition Universelle, when the Salon of 1855 was incorporated into the general exhibition, the authorities decided to split the art between two different events. While the 1867 Exposition would act as a retrospective of artworks, particularly those from the past twelve years, the Salon would feature the newer artworks. While the Salon ran for six weeks, the Exposition would last for six months. A number of artists petitioned the government to extend the length of the Salon but were only able to gain an extra weeks beyond the planned closing date of 31 May.^[2]

The selection committee for the Salon was particularly severe in rejecting submissions. Amongst those who were refused were the emerging Impressionists Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Frédéric Bazille, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet.^[3] Generally traditional Academic Art was favoured, although the American-born James McNeill Whistler did exhibit his At the Piano, which had previously been rejected at the Salon of 1859.^[4] Just as he had in 1855 the leading Realist painter Gustave Courbet chose to stage his own one-man exhibition, separate from the major events.^[5] While this was not formally endorsed by the authorities Courbet was now treated effectively as an Old Master.^[6] The younger Édouard Manet, despite craving the approval of the official Salon, set up his own pavilion adjacent to Courbet's to display more than fifty of his own paintings.^[7]