Salon des Refusés

Benjamin Johansen Monday morning Jackie French authorThe irreverent and playful rabble-rouser of the Archibald’s, the Salon des Refusés comes to Victoria for the first time.  Showcasing ‘the ones that got away’, the exhibition is a 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 (10 October – 29 November 2015), the works torn from obscurity include portraits of Jackie French, Robert Forster, Catherine Martin and Carlotta, a sculpture of a homeless man by Paul Trefry that was poignantly entered into the Wynne landscape prize, a portrait of Dr Starvos Kyrimis, Consul-General of Greece, as well as Christopher Pyett’s sensitive portrait of Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty.

The Salon des Refusés was initiated by the S.H. Ervin Gallery in 1992 in response to the large number of works entered into the Archibald and Wynne Prizes not selected for hanging in the official exhibition. Each year a panel is invited to go behind the scenes to select an exhibition from the many works entered but not chosen for the official awards. The criteria for works selected in the Salon are quality, diversity, humour and innovation.

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: 10 October – 29 November 2015
Entry fees apply

For more information, visit: www.mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au for details.

Image: Benjamin Johansen, Monday morning (Jackie French, author), (detail) acrylic on canvas