The Société des Artistes Français (, meaning "Society of French Artists") is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the "Salon des artistes français" (not to be confused with the better-known Salon, established in 1667).
When the Société was established, it associated all the French artists. Its president was a painter and its vice-president a sculptor. The main task of the Société is to organize the Salon, since the French government ceased to do it.
Secession
In December 1890 president Bouguereau suggested that the Salon should be an exhibition of young, yet unrecognized, artists. Ernest Meissonier, Puvis de Chavannes, Auguste Rodin and others rejected this proposal and left the organization. They quickly created their own exhibition (Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1899) that was also named the Salon, officially Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux–Arts, in short Salon du Champs de Mars. The original Salon was sometimes called Salon de Champs-Élysées, or simply Salon des artistes français).
Presidents of the association since 1881
1881: Antoine-Nicolas Bailly, architect 1891: Leon Bonnat, painter 1896: Édouard Detaille, painter 1900: Jean-Paul Laurens, painter 1901: William Bouguereau, painter 1904: Tony Robert-Fleury, painter 1907: Henri-Paul Nénot, architect 1910: Victor Laloux, architect 1913: Antonin Mercie, sculptor 1917: Francois Flameng, painter 1920: Victor Laloux, architect 1922: Jules Coutan, sculptor 1924: Henri-Paul Nénot, architect 1926: Paul Chabas, painter 1936: Alphonse Defrasse, architect 1939: , architect 1941: Henri Bouchard, sculptor 1945: , architect 1947: Jules Formigé, architect 1955: , architect 1959: , painter 1965: Georges Cheyssial, painter 1977: Georges Muguet, sculptor 1979: , painter 1981: , painter 1991: , painter 1994: Jean Campistron, painter 1997: Françoise Zig-Tribouilloy, engraver 2000: Christian Billet, painter 2010: Viviane Guybet, sculptor 2013: Martine Delaleuf, architect
Present day
The Société des Artistes Français still exists and organizes each year the "Salon des Artistes Français". Its current President is Ms. Martine Delaleuf.
See also Salon Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts
External links Société des Artistes Français (official website)