The History of Salon Walls

May 16, 2024

Art

Nesha Ruther

Writer at Bond & Grace

If you’ve spent any time in museums, home decor stores, or even on Pinterest, you are likely familiar with the salon wall style. Also known as the gallery wall, this maximalist design technique relies on filling all available wall space with artwork.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, forced to look at the same four walls every day, people began recreating the iconic technique in their homes, adding variety and color to the otherwise bleak quarantine. But where did this classic style come from, and what is the philosophy behind it?

The first Salon Wall came into being in 1670 Paris. The French monarchy sanctioned a semi-public display of the work of recent graduates from the French Royal Academy of Painting & Sculpture.

The technique was originally not an aesthetic choice, but a functional one. Wall space was limited, forcing the curators to cover every available inch with student artwork.

The scarcity of wall space led to fierce competition among artists. Important and well-regarded artwork was given prime real estate in the center of a wall. To have your work displayed “on the line”, meaning directly in the line of vision, was a high honor, while less important work was shunted to the very top or bottom of the wall.

The popularity of salon walls also led to increasingly ornate frames, with artists hoping to catch viewers' attention by framing their work in highly decorative and elaborate ways.

This maximalist method became a tremendous hit. Other salon exhibits began to pop up around the city in the following years, and in 1725 the original exhibit of student artwork was moved to Salon Carre (square salon) in the Louvre.

In 1737 the Royal Academy opened the doors of their salons to the public, allowing anyone, regardless of class or status to participate in the viewing of art.

At this same moment, salons themselves were becoming increasingly popular throughout France. These were intellectual and artistic spaces outside of formal institutions that allowed artists, writers, thinkers, and intellectuals to share work, give and receive feedback, and fiercely debate the ideas of the day.

Eighteenth-century philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire challenged the entrenched hierarchy of French society and posed new ideas about class, status, and fundamental human rights.

The art world was no exception, and the increased accessibility of art to the public spurred new ideas about the role of art outside of the elite class. Ironically, what began as a crown-sanctioned display of artwork contributed to the French Revolution’s philosophy of “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.”

The salon wall quickly spread outside of France and in 1786 the Royal Academy of Art in London had its first salon-style exhibition.

It arrived in America in the mid-1800s, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution. This period marked the increased availability of luxury goods and led to an increased demand for art among the middle class, as well as increased opportunities for artists to receive formal training.

Ornate, decorative, and maximalist to its core the salon wall-style relies on a philosophy of more is more, crowding the viewer’s line of sight and urging observers to discover what they personally find eye-catching.

And while it may have begun as a tool of the elites, it is in truth a signal of the democratization of art and the ideals of the French Revolution.

So go fill your walls, leave no space uncovered, and revel in the power of art to not only change minds and hearts but transform societies. Happy decorating!

To build your own salon wall, discover Bond & Grace original art, art prints, and antique frames and freshen up your salon wall and learn about your artwork taste with our interactive art quiz!

For more information read:

Framebridge Editorial, “The History Behind Your Favorite Gallery Walls”, Framebridge, August 22 2018.

High Museum of Art, “Create Your Own Salon Wall,” Medium, August 10 2020.

Jones, Chelsea, “A Brief History of the Salon Wall”, Canvas, July 6 2016.

Spiegel, Taru, “Women in the French Revolution from the Salons to the Streets” Library of Congress, July 14 2020.