The irreverent and playful rabble-rouser of the Archibald, the Salon des Refusés showcases ’the ones that got away’. The prized selection of the humorous, innovative, mad, bad and dangerous entries that were too fabulous to resist.
To be shown exclusively at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (24 September – 20 November), the works torn from obscurity include portraits of arts and entertainment personalities such as Osher Gunsberg, David Walsh AO, Jean Kittson, Paul Capsis, Katie Noonan, Maria Venuti, indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton, and a portrait of politician Penny Wong feature amongst the 40 works selected from the Archibald Prize and 24 works from the Wynne Prize entries.
The Salon des Refusés follows the tradition made famous by Napoleon III in Paris in 1863, when he insisted that the huge number of works which had been rejected by the Academy for that year’s Salon be displayed for the public to view and judge. The very first Salon des Refusés included works by Edouard Manet and Camille Pissarro.
In Australia, the Salon des Refusés exhibition was initiated by the S.H. Ervin Galley 25 years ago. Each year the Salon panel goes behind the scenes of the judging process, to select an exhibition from the many works not chosen as finalists for the official exhibition. The criteria for works selected are quality, diversity, humour and experimentation.
The S.H. Ervin’s Salon des Refusés exhibition has established an excellent reputation that rivals the selections of the ‘official’ prize exhibitions and is often cited as a more lively and discerning selection.
Salon des Refusés
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, 350 Dunns Road, Mornington
Exhibition: 24 September – 20 November 2016
Entry fees apply
For more information, visit: www.mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au for details.
Image: Tianli Zu, Penny Wong (detail)