Salon des Refusés 2024
An Exhibition Showcasing Artwork Rejected from Brooklyn Museum’s 200th Anniversary Show
Bravo BWAC!
Congratulations to all at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition [BWAC] for organizing the tremendous Salon des Refusés 2024 exhibition, featuring 200 artists whose works were not accepted into the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary show. What a way to elevate and unite Brooklyn artists – and get their work seen!
Back in February, the Brooklyn Museum announced an open call for artwork for an exhibition celebrating the institution’s 200th anniversary. Brooklyn-based artists were invited to submit one artwork for consideration for The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition. More than 4,000 artists applied to this exciting opportunity, however due to limited space, few were accepted. The Brooklyn Museum exhibition will showcase 216 artists.
“The selection process consisted of two phases: invitations from the Artist Committee and a public Open Call,” according to the Brooklyn Museum. It is not clear how many artists were invited by the Artist Committee (which includes Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli) to exhibit vs. how many artists were selected from the Open Call. In early August, thousands of artists across Brooklyn were notified whether their submissions were accepted for the exhibition. Those who were not received a rejection letter.
In response to all of the rejections for the Brooklyn Museum show, BWAC had the brilliant idea to host a Salon des Refusés group exhibition to showcase some of the works that were not selected. To take part in the BWAC show, artists had to present their rejection letter from the Brooklyn Museum. The number of artists for the BWAC exhibit was capped at 200.
The inspiration for the BWAC exhibit was the original Salon des Refusés of 1863. Artists applied annually to the Paris Salon’s exhibition of academic art sponsored by the French government and the conservative Academy of Fine Arts. Two thirds of the works submitted in 1863 were rejected, including works by Courbet, Manet, and Pissarro. The shut-out artists protested and Emperor Napolean III, worried about backlash, organized a concurrent exhibition of all the rejected works. The show drew thousands of visitors. Subsequent rejection shows continued to take place sporadically in the late 1800s.
BWAC’s opening reception on Saturday, September 21 was a blast! The organization did an amazing job uplifting and supporting the Brooklyn arts community! It was wonderful to see such an array of creativity as well as many new and familiar faces bonding and having a great time!
For a grassroots representation of contemporary Brooklyn art, don’t miss Salon des Refusés 2024 in Red Hook, Brooklyn!
Salon des Refusés 2024
September 21 to October 13, 2024 | Saturdays & Sundays, 1pm to 6pm
BWAC, 481 Van Brunt Street (second floor), Red Hook, New York
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition opens at the Brooklyn Museum on October 4, 2024 and will run through January 26, 2025.