Salon des Cent

In December 1889 James Ensor had a solo retrospective exhibition, organized by the editors of a contemporary arts magazine, at the Salon des Cent in Paris. Using new color lithography technologies, the group typically advertised its exhibitions with large color posters such as this one. Here, Ensor depicted himself surrounded by grotesque demons, stand-ins for the critics who abused him. Although a haloed rooster at the poster’s center seems to symbolize Ensor’s hopes for growing fame, the exhibition was ultimately unsuccessful—he sold only one of the fifty-five works displayed.