Salon des Indépendants

Salon des Indépendants.
Annual exhibition held in Paris by the Société des Artistes Indépendants, an association formed in 1884 by Seurat and other artists in opposition to the official Salon. There was no selection committee and anyone could exhibit on payment of a fee. This meant that many interesting avant-garde works were shown, but also that they ran the risk of being swamped by a sea of mediocrity. It became the main showcase for the Post-Impressionists (Henri Rousseau was also a regular exhibitor) and was a major art event in Paris up to the First World War. By then, however, it had been challenged by the smaller but more discriminating Salon d'Automne.