Exposition Universelle 1867

 

 

Meta-Impressionism / Other exhibitions

Exposition Universelle

1867

A universal recognition

General info:
Joining the art exposition of the Exposition Universelle in 1867 in Paris can be seen as a universal recognition for an artist. It is interesting to see what works were exhibited, which ones were (highly) awarded and which ones were rejected. This page will render some impression. I will render special attention to the partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions, to pre-impressionists and para-impressionists. I mostly will limit to exhibited paintings. At the bottom of this page you will find some background information.
Note: more info and pictures will be added.

 

Most highly awarded paintings:
8 artists received a Grand Prix (for painting and drawing) including the following 4 French artists: Cabanel; Gérôme, Meissonier and Rousseau↑↓. (R337/1868)
Cabanel showed 6 paintings, including 3 portraits, 2 mythological scenes and 1 biblical scene; 2 works were loans of the emperor Napoleon III, who was also rendered in one of the portraits.
Gérôme showed 13 paintings; 11 he had shown before at the Salon; 6 were oriental scenes; 5 historical paintings, 1 mythological paintings and 1 a sort of genre painting.
Meissonier showed 14 paintings; 5 he had shown before at the Salon; 4 were history paintings, 2 portraits, 5 or maybe 8 can be best defined as genre paintings.
Rousseau showed 8 landscapes; all titles depicted a location and 4 also atmospherical influences; 2 were shown before at the Salon.
Here below and at the top of this page you will find some of these paintings, rendered alphabetically.

 

Highly awarded paintings:
At the Exposition Universelle of 1867 15 artists received a ‘premier prix’; 8 French artists, including Jules Breton; Daubigny; Français; 7 foreign artists, including Alfred Stevens. (R337/1868), so including several pre-impressionists.

 

Other exhibited pictures:
At the Exposition Universelle of 1867 many paintings were exhibited.
20 artists received a ‘deuxième prix’; 10 French artists, including Rosa Bonheur, Bonnat, Corot, Dupré; 10 foreign artists, including Alma Tadema, Menzel. (R337/1868)
24 artists received a ’troisième prix’; 10 French artists, including Bouguereau, Cabat, Puvis de Chavannes; 14 foreign artists. (R337/1868). Here some of them will be rendered first by form, than alphabetically. Namely of Bouguereau, J.F. Millet, Puvis de Chavannes and Troyon.

 

Other art-works:
At the Exposition Universelle of 1867 Félix Bracquemond showed 1 etch. Elsewhere at the Exposition Universelle the Rousseau dinner service, for which Bracquemond he made the decorations, also was exhibited (R73,p11). Auguste Ottin showed a bronze statue and received a 2nd class medal.

Art-works of foreign artists:
At the Exposition Universelle of 1867 many artists from foreign countries also exhibited.
Foreign artists also were awarded; 4 artists with a Grand Prix, including Leys (BE); 7 with a premier prix, including Stevens (BE); 10 with a 2e prix,  including Alma Tadema (NL) and Menzel (Prusse); 14 with a 3e prix, including Israels (NL).
1867/06/29 also some foreign artists were appointed in the Légion d’Honneur. Among them were Adolphe Menzel (Prusse) and Joseph Israëls as Chevalier and Henri Leys and Alfred Stevens (BE) as Officier. (R337/1868).

 

Rejected pictures:

Note: Info and pictures will follow.

 

General info:
The art exhibition was group I within the Exposition Universelle and was divided within 5 classes: no.1 oil paintings; no.2 various paintings and drawings; no.3 sculptures and engravings on medals; no.4 architecture drawings and models; no.5 engravings en lithographs.
Many countries did join. Germany was still divided in several smaller states.

The juries:
The admission jury for the (French) paintings consisted of 24 members; 8 were nominated by the imperial commission; 3 were members of l’Institut and 13 were other painters, including Rousseau (president), Breton, Français, Gleyre, Pils.
The international award jury for the first section, classes 1+2 (paintings and drawings) consisted of 28 members, including 12 French of which 3 were members of l’Institut.
The President of the overall jury of Fine Arts was Comte de Nieuwerke. (R337/1868)

The awards:
8 artists received a Grand Prix (for painting and drawing) including the following 4 French artists: Cabanel; Gérôme, Meissonier and Rousseau.
15 artists received a ‘premier prix‘: 8 French artists, including Jules Breton; Daubigny; Français, J.F. Millet and Joseph Robert-Fleury. And 7 foreign artists, including the Belgian painter Alfred Stevens.
20 artists received a ‘deuxième prix‘; 10 French artists, including Rosa Bonheur, Bonnat, Corot, Delaunay, Dupré and Hébert. And 10 foreign artists, including the Dutch (later English) painter Alma Tadema and the Prussian (German) painter Menzel.
24 artists received a ‘troisième prix‘; 10 French artists, including Bouguereau, Cabat, Puvis de Chavannes;. And 14 foreign artists, including the Dutch painter Israëls.
Auguste Ottin received a ‘deuxième prix’ for sculpture (classe 3).
Charles Jacque received a ‘troisième prix’ for engraving (classe 5).
Sources: R337/1868; R231-10;

 

Other paintings exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1867:
It is beyond the scope of this website to render most of the identified paintings. (I namely leave out classical paintings and portraits.) I will mention here below more titles of works exhibited and will link when possible to external websites, so you may get a more complete impression of the works exhibited. Still, many exhibited paintings remain unidentified.

Alexandre Cabanel (1823-89):
EU-1867-120, Nymphe enlevée par un faune; Salon de 1861; à S.M. l’Empereur.
EU-1867-121, Portrait de M. Rouher, Ministre d’État; Salon de 1861 (compare copy iR6).
EU-1867-123, Portrait de Mme la comtesse de Clermont-Tonnere; Salon de 1863 (=? iR308).
EU-1867-125, Le Paradis perdu (commandé par S.M. le Roi de Bavière) (now lost; compare reduction iR15; M1; iR348; iR3)
Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904):
EU-1867-290, Phryné devant le tribunal; Salon de 1861; à M. H. Schröder (iR4; iR6; M50)
EU-1867-291, Les deux augures; Salon de 1861; à MM. Vander Donckt frères.
=S1861-1250, “Deux augures n’ont jamais pu se regarder sans rire” (=? iR13; compare print; compare etch/iR4)
EU-1867-292, Hache-paille égyptien; Salon de 1861; à M. Werlé (compare M1).
EU-1867-293, Rembrandt faisant mordre une planche à l’eau-forte; Salon de 1861; à M. E. Fould (compare M147; print Goupil + print Goupil; iR48).
EU-1867-294, Louis XIV et Molière; Salon de 1863; à M. Edward-Mattews (=?? iR6)
EU-1867-295, Boucher turc à Jérusalem; Salon de 1863; à M. J. Hoeg (=!? iR6)
EU-1867-296, Le prisonnier; Salon de 1863; Musée de Nantes (iR6; iR23; iR489; M16)
EU-1867-297, L’Almée; Salon de 1864 (à M. J. Hoeg) (=? iR6/Dayton +iR6; compare etch)
EU-1867-298, Porte de la mosquée El-Assaneyn au Caire, où furent exposées les têtes des beys immolés par Salek-Kachef; Salon de 1866; à M. H. Stewart (=? iR6).
EU-1867-299, La mort de César (à M. J. Allard) (iR3; iR6; M48)
EU-1867-300, Arnautes jouant aux échecs (=? iR6; iR173)
Ernest Meissonier (1815-91):
EU-1867-450, Le Maréchal ferrant (Salon de 1861; à M. Bianchi) (compare etch iR42)
EU-1867-451, Portrait de Mme Henri Thénard (Salon de 1861)
EU-1867-454, 1807 (=? M23 (=EU-Vienna-1873-479); iR6; iR3).
EU-1867-455, Lecture chez Diderot (à M. P. Demidoff) (compare print iR6; see coloured engraving)
EU-1867-456, Le Capitaine (à M. le marquis d’Herford)
EU-1867-457, Cavaliers se faisant servir à boire  (à M. le marquis d’Herford)
EU-1867-458, Corps de garde (à M. le marquis d’Herford) (compare engraving iR40)
EU-1867-459, Portrait of M. G(aston) Delahante =EU-1889-C-501, M. Delahante (E.U. de 1867; à M. Delahante)
EU-1867-460, Lecture (à M. X)
EU-1867-461, L’Ordonnance (à M. Prosper Crabble) (=?? M5=iR357=iR6; compare: M1)
EU-1867-462, Renseignements; le général Desaix à l’armée de Rhin et Moselle (=? M36=iR6; compare engraving iR499).
Théodore Rousseau (1812-67):
EU-1867-543, Gorges d’Apremont; forêt de Fontainebleau; Salon de 1859.
EU-1867-544, Le Chêne de roche, forêt de Fontainebleau; Salon de 1861; à M. Marmontel (=iR15; iR6; M90).
EU-1867-545, L’Automne (fin d’octobre); paysage de Sologne; à M. Marmontel.
EU-1867-546, Coup de soleil par un temps orageux, gorges d’Apremont.
EU-1867-547, Le Soir après la pluie, paysage du Berry. (=M21; iR6)
EU-1867-548, Bords de la Bouzanne, paysage du Berry; à M. Margueritte (=iR6; M48).
EU-1867-549, Une Métairie sur les bords de l’Oise; à M. le comte d’Aquila.
EU-1867-550, Rive d’un étang (effet du soir), paysage du Berry; à M. Gavet.

 

Sources:
My main sources the catalogues mentioned here below. See also the sources mentioned at the bottom of the main page on the Expositions Universelle.

Additional references (=aRx):

  1. 1867, Paris. Catalogue d’oeuvres d’art (link archive.org/ia600806; =iR19/R231-8)
  2. 1867, Paris. Catalogue officiel des exposants récompenses; Universelle de 1867 à Paris. (gallica.bnf.fr//bpt6k6372870w =iR40=R231-10)

 

Recommanded citation: “Meta-Impressionism / other expositions: Exposition Universelle 1867 in Paris. Last modified 2025/12/09. https://www.impressionism.nl/exposition-universelle-1867/”

Note: Info and pictures will follow.