A Visit to the Salon. Obviously all the sculptors are a naughty bunch, plate 1 from Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 26.8 × 21.5 cm (10 9/16 × 8 1/2 in.); Sheet: 33 × 25 cm (13 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
76376
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
While the annual Salon was open to the public, this print suggests that perhaps not all Salon exhibits were appropriate for everyone. Here a father angrily escorts his two children away from a crowd of men looking at nude sculptures. The scandalized parent makes a lively counterpoint to the voyeuristic male viewers. Daumier’s ironic title implies that the artist agrees with his audience’s purported sense of modesty while teasingly drawing on their secretly lustful inclinations.
About the Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier · 1808–1879
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose works offered incisive commentary on the social and political life of 19th-century France. Known as the 'Michelangelo of Caricature,' Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, and 100 sculptures during his lifetime. His biting political satire led to his imp...