The Concord Art Association has adopted a tradition long held by many art schools, museums and galleries, the tradition of the Salon Des Refusés.

The origin of the “Salon des Refusés” dates back to Paris, 1863. An exhibit was held by command of Napoleon III for those artists whose works had been refused by the jury of the official Salon. A Salon was an exhibition of art sponsored by the French government. The confirmation of an artist’s success was acceptance at the annual Salon. The accepted paintings tended to be conservative depicting subjects such as a knight in armor, a group of cardinals, tropical vegetation or a still-life of a feast for a King.

In 1863, the Salon rejected 4,000 paintings which caused such a protest from the rejected painters and their supporters that they formed their own exhibition, Salon des Refuseés. Among the painters in the “refused” show were Camille Pissaro, Henri Fantin-Latour, James M. Whistler and Edouard Manet.

Over the years contemporary venues have adopted the “Salon des Refusés” as a way of acknowledging that juried exhibitions are always selective. Upon researching information on the Internet for examples of “Salon des Refusés,” we discovered literally hundreds of like exhibitions around the world. This information affirmed our decision to offer such an exhibit to our members.

In any juried show, the juror will make the best choices based on knowledge, professional experience and general appreciation of the work. In selecting work for the Concord Art Association’s “Salon des Refusés,” we will look for excellence and a range of pieces that reflect the breadth and depth of the membership’s talents. The goal is to assemble an exhibition as challenging, and as indicative of the membership’s virtuosity, as both of the previous membership exhibitions.

We feel that a “Salon des Refusés” is an excellent opportunity for more artists to have their work exhibited. We look forward to making this a traition and by extension honor past artists who dedicated their lives to the visual arts.