The art salon began as a type of art exhibition, often arranged by art schools or private individuals, to make artworks available to a wider audience. But over time, the salon became much more than just a place to look at art. It turned into a lively space where people came together to talk about art, ideas, politics, and the world around them.
This change raises some interesting questions: How did the art salon help shape the way we think about art and culture? And why did it become such an important meeting place for these conversations?

In this talk, art historians Alexandra Fried and Alexandra Herlitz will guide us through the history of the art salon. They’ll take us from the grand salons of 18th- and 19th-century Paris to the ways people are reimagining salons today. Along the way, they’ll show how these gatherings were more than exhibitions—they were places for discussion, debate, and cultural exchange.

The talk offers a fresh look at how the art salon helped shape public taste, inspired new artistic ideas, and encouraged people to think about the role of art in society. It also explores how this history can still teach us something about how we share and talk about art today.

TIME: Saturday 30 August, 14.00-14.45
PLACE: The Stairs Scene, Gothenburg City Library
Free admission. The talk will be held in Swedish

PARTICIPANTS

Alexandra Fried and Alexandra Herlitz are senior lecturers in Art and Visual Studies at the Department of Cultural Sciences, University of Gothenburg. They are also the co-hosts of Konsthistoriepodden, one of Sweden’s leading podcasts on art and cultural history.

The event is organized in collaboration with the Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg Culture Festival and the Gothenburg City Library in connection with the exhibition Fotosalongen 2025 at the Hasselblad Center.

Image: François Joseph Heim, “Charles V Distributing Awards to the Artists at the Close of the Salon of 1824,” 1827 (Public domain)