Blue-chip art as people know it today did not always have a smooth and fairytale-like path to global fame. Some examples of extraordinarily expensive, famous artwork had to go through a difficult period of criticism, rejection, and a lack of public understanding. This article examines several notable historical cases in which artists’ revolutionary ideas were far ahead of their time, making their work an object of aggression, ridicule, or neglect.

Manet’s Olympia: Famous Artwork at the Verge of Destruction

The story of stationing guards at the 1865 Paris Salon is well-known in the art world. The exhibition’s organizers had to take radical measures to protect Olympia, a new painting by Édouard Manet (featured image), which visitors reportedly wanted to damage with walking sticks and umbrellas. The nude artwork infuriated the Parisian art community, with critics condemning its subject matter and what they considered Manet’s unconventional handling of paint. Today, however, this famous artwork is one of the most cherished works at the Musée d’Orsay, and it is widely regarded as a landmark of modern art.

Whistler’s Nocturne in Black and Gold: Financially Destructive Innovation

James McNeill Whistler also faced considerable criticism for his Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket. It presents a dim, atmospheric depiction of fireworks over the Thames, executed in a then-radical artistic style. Because the painting appeared to lack a conventional subject, influential Victorian critic John Ruskin accused Whistler of throwing a pot of paint in the public’s face and charging money for it. Whistler sued Ruskin for libel and won, but the damages he received were minimal. The legal battle contributed to Whistler’s financial difficulties, demonstrating how unprepared parts of the British art world were to accept radical changes in painting.

James McNeill Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket (1875)

Impressionism: A Long-Term Synonym for Insult

Impressionism itself is a story of misunderstanding, skepticism, and criticism. In his review of the 1874 Impressionist exhibition, critic Louis Leroy used Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise to mock the new movement, describing the works as unfinished and comparing them to rudimentary wallpaper. Yet the Impressionists turned Leroy’s criticism into an advantage. The term he used as an insult eventually became the internationally recognized name of one of the most influential art movements in history.

Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise (1872)

Defamatory comments were not exclusive to paintings. The Eiffel Tower in Paris also faced intense criticism during its construction in 1887–1889, with members of the Parisian cultural elite, including Guy de Maupassant and Charles Garnier, publicly opposing the project. These cases illustrate how artistic developments and forward-looking ideas can remain misunderstood by contemporaries, yet many of these disruptive works eventually reshape how future generations understand art.