Salon des Refusés opens in Paris

Background. The Paris Salon, sponsored by the French government and the Academy of Fine Arts, was an annual exhibition of academic art. In 1863, the jury rejected two-thirds of submitted paintings, including works by Manet and Whistler. This harsh rejection prompted a protest, leading to the creation of the Salon des Refusés, an exhibition of rejected works sanctioned by Emperor Napoleon III.

Reception. Critics and the public ridiculed the refusés, particularly Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe and Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 1. Although Whistler's painting was widely noticed, he was upstaged by Manet's more shocking work. The controversy surrounding these paintings sparked public notoriety and contributed to the perception of these works as breakthrough acts to a new style.

Manet's Participation. Manet seized the opportunity to exhibit Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe and two other paintings in the 1863 Salon des Refusés. His early masterworks, including The Luncheon on the Grass, caused great controversy with critics and the Academy of Fine Arts, yet were praised by progressive artists as breakthrough acts to the new style, Impressionism.