Refusés of the Bay

In a bold and inspired move, Voss Gallery and Metal Haus Gallery collaboratively present "Refusés of the Bay," an art project of two curated exhibitions and an online catalog featuring Bay Area artists whose work was inexplicably overlooked by the jurors of The de Young Open 2023.

About "Refusés of the Bay"

“Refusés of the Bay” is a tribute to the 1863 Salon des Refusés, which showcased rejected artwork from the highly acclaimed Paris Salon, featuring a staggering two-thirds of the submitted work that was not initially chosen. This renegade art fair included emerging works from James McNeill Whistler, Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, and other world-renowned artists whose careers took off after the show.

This year, the de Young Museum received over 7,700 submissions to its triennial open call for community artists and fewer than 900 were selected. To narrow the gap, Voss Gallery and Metal Haus Gallery are partnering to provide platforms for the work of other exceptional local artists to be shown. These visionaries, inexplicably overlooked by the jurors of The de Young Open 2023, are now getting the recognition they deserve.