The Displeasure of a Sculpture Placed in the Middle of an Exhibition of Paintings, plate 5 from Salon De 1857
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.6 × 21 cm (9 11/16 × 8 5/16 in.); Sheet: 35.8 × 27.5 cm (14 1/8 × 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28665
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this lithograph, Daumier lampooned the popularity of paintings in the annual Salon by placing an overwrought sculpture atop a round settee in the center of a painting gallery. The total number of works of art exhibited at the Salon was already over 5,000 by this date, and paintings were hung nearly from floor to ceiling. As a result, the sculpture in the middle of the room becomes effectively invisible, as viewers seated below only look outward. With so much color on the surrounding walls, th...
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...