A vernissage (from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, originally meaning "

varnish Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various ...

ing") is a preview of an

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhib ...

, which may be private, before the formal opening. If the vernissage is not open to the public, but only to invited guests, it is often called a ''

private view A private view is a special viewing of an exhibition by invitation only, often an art exhibition and normally a preview at the start of a public exhibition.Alice-Azania JarvisHow to behave at a private view... ''The Independent, 10 October 2008. ...

''.

History

At official exhibitions in the nineteenth century, such as the

Royal Academy summer exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

, artists would give a finishing touch to their works by varnishing them. The custom of patrons and the élite of visiting the academies during the varnishing day prior to the formal opening of the exhibition gave rise to the tradition of celebrating the completion of an art work or a series of art works with friends and sponsors. In the twentieth century it became an opportunity to market the works on view to

buyers Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or servi ...

and

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

Jonn_Leffmann_-_En_passant_-_vernissagekort_2004

Related terms

There is a comparable ceremonial ending of art exhibitions, called a ''finissage'', from the French word meaning "finishing". Larger art exhibitions may also have an event halfway through their residency called a ''midissage''. These latter terms are rare in English; they are more commonly used in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

but not in French. The term ''finissage'' was first used in this context in 2003 by Walter Hilliger and Sabine Sallarsaïb for Geheimat Multinational Gallery in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

.Josephy, Ralf (2019).
Information design Semitism
p.31". ''ResearchGate''
Archived
from the original on 2020.

References

External links

Vernissage
The Magazine of the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

Vernissage — Die Zeitschrift zur Ausstellung
* Finissage Visual arts exhibitions Museum events {{art-stub

History

Related terms

See also

References

External links