In the 19th century thousands of professional artists were working in Paris, but they had few places to exhibit their work. Aside from the occasional world’s fair, the only major locale at which an artist could show was the government-sponsored Salon. Originally established by Louis XIV, the Salon was an annual public exhibition at which the public learned about contemporary art, art dealers chose which artists to represent, and wealthy buyers could add to their collections. The Salon was thus the foremost place for artists to establish their reputations and sell their work, but first their art had to be ...(100 of 1027 words) Access the full article Help support true facts by becoming a member. Subscribe today!