In Danseuse (Csaky), how is the Salon d'Automne, 1912 discussed?
The 1912 Automne exhibition, held in Paris at the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées from 1 October to 8 November resulted in a xenophobe and anti-modernist quarrel in the National Assembly (France). The group of artists now recognized as Cubists, among which several non-French citizens exhibited, were regrouped into the same room: Salle XI. The Cubist room was packed full with spectators, as others waited in line to get in, recalled Albert Gleizes. The resistance to both foreigners and avant-garde art was part of a more profound crises: that of defining modern French art in the wake of Impressionism centered in Paris. Placed into question was the modern ideology elaborated upon since the late 19th century. What had begun as a question of aesthetics quickly turned political during the Cubist exhibition. The critic Louis Vauxcelles (in Les Arts..., 1912) was most implicated in the deliberations. On 3 December 1912 the polemic reached the Chambre des députés and was debated at the French National Assembly.The scandal prompted the critic Roger Allard to defend the Cubists in the journal La Côte, pointing out that it wasn't the first time the Salon d'Automne—a venue to promote modern art—came under attack by city officials, the Institute, and members of the Conseil. And it would not be the last either.
Louis Vauxcelles Albert Gleizes Champs-Elysées avant-garde Impressionism Cubist Salon d'Automne Grand Palais Chambre des députés National Assembly Roger Allard National Assembly (France)