Artists not backed by the official Académie de peinture et de sculpture in charge of the exhibits at the annual Salon, or without support supplied by actual political constellations, had little chance to advance during the Second Empire.

From year to year the number of artists working in Paris, the number of artists submitting works to the official Salon and the number of works refused by the jury increased, but neither the Second Empire nor the Third Republic had found an answer to this situation.

For years, the artists had counted on official support.

In 1884, finally, the artists begin to organize themselves, and a "Group of independent artists" is authorized by the Ministry of Fine Arts to arrange an exhibition, while the City of Paris agrees to supply rooms for the presentation.

So, from May 15 through July 15, the first "free" exhibition of contemporary art shows more than five thousand works by more than four hundred artists.