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Why did Gustave Courbet open the Pavilion of Realism in 1855?

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Gustave Courbet opened the Pavilion of Realism in 1855 as a direct response to the rejection of his work by the jury of the official Exposition Universelle.

Among the paintings refused was his massive, complex canvas, The Artist’s Studio (1854–55), which served as an allegory for his artistic philosophy. Rather than accepting this exclusion, Courbet—with the financial support of a friend—constructed his own pavilion near the official exhibition site to display his paintings under the label "Realism, G. Courbet".12

By establishing this independent venue, Courbet asserted his commitment to the realist aesthetic, which rejected the artificiality and idealization favored by the traditional academies in favor of the frank, unadorned depiction of contemporary life and ordinary people.312