Le Salon annuel de la Société des amis des arts de Pau, quartier d’hiver des impressionnistes de 1876 à 1879

Abstract

Marc Le Cœur : The Annual Salon of the Society of the Friends of the Arts in Pau : Winter Quarters of the Impressionists from 1876 to 1879. At the same time that their first collective exhibitions were held in Paris, Impressionist artists were invited to present their works at the exhibits of the Society of the Friends of the Arts in Pau from 1876 to 1879, at the initiative of Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils, respectively secretary and vice-president of the Society. The most famous among these artists were Caillebotte, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley who were joined by a number of their colleagues and teachers. The paintings that were exhibited, several of which were among the chefs-d’œuvre of their authors (notably, Young Man at the Window by Caillebotte, The Orchestra by Degas and A June Morning by Pissarro) were given an indifferent welcome by the public ; and, despite favorable press reviews, they were rarely sold. However, in 1878, the Pau Museum acquired Degas’ celebrated Interior of a Cotton Office in New Orleans. At the end of the following year, after Lafond and Cherfils were repudiated by the public and forced to leave their positions, the exhibitions of these Impressionists ended. This article, based on criticism that appeared in the local press, relates the reception given to these singular exhibits that took place 600 miles from Paris.