NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Succès de scandale

It might seem contradictory that any kind of success might follow from scandal: but scandal attracts attention, and this attention (whether gossip or bad press or any other kind) is sometimes the beginning of notoriety and/or other successes. Today, the often used cynical phrase "no such thing as bad publicity" is indicative of the extent to which "success by scandal" is a part of modern culture.

The archetypal example of succes de scandale in art is Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps, premiered in 1913 by the Ballets Russes. The public attending this premiere was so scandalised by the brutal sounds produced by the orchestra, and the evocation of a blood sacrifice on the scene, that it literally tore down the theatre. This took place in 1913, the high days of the Belle Epoque. A shower of bad press and criticism followed. But Stravinsky kept aloof, as if he knew that overnight he had become the most famous composer of the 20th century, and that he never would have to recur to scandal again. (He moved to chamber music and neoclassical style for the next few years, nothing with which to upset large audiences). From what he declared years later, he still appeared sure that he couldn't be beaten in exploiting a scandal for success, the way it had happened with Le Sacre du Printemps. Succès de scandale is French for success by scandal, i. ... Igor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky () (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a composer of modern classical music. ... The Rite of Spring is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. ... Premiere, from French language première meaning first, generally means a first performance. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The ballet company Ballets Russes created a sensation in Western Europe in the early years of the 20th century, due to the great vitality of Russian ballet, as compared with what was current in France at the time. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Belle poque, or beautiful era, was a period in Frances history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring at the midpoint of the Third Republic, the Belle poque was considered a golden time of beauty, innovation, and peace between France and... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... Neoclassicism in music was instigated by Igor Stravinsky, according to himself, but attributed by others to composers including Ferruccio Busoni (who wrote Junge Klassizität or New Classicality in 1920), Sergei Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, and others. ... The Rite of Spring is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. ...

Belle Epoque

Belle epoque Paris appears to have had exactly the right climate for succès de scandale (which is probably also the reason why this is where the term originated): in all examples below, regarding famous artists kicking off their career with some sort of scandal, there are at least some connections with turn-of-the-century Paris. In other cities, provoking a scandal appeared more risky, as Oscar Wilde would find out shortly after his relatively "successful" Parisian scandal (Salomé - 1894, portraying the main character as a Necrophile): The Belle poque, or beautiful era, was a period in Frances history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring at the midpoint of the Third Republic, the Belle poque was considered a golden time of beauty, innovation, and peace between France and... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Fin de siècle is French for End of the Century. The term turn-of-the-century is sometimes used as a synonym, but is more neutral (lacking some or most of the connotations described below), and can include the first years of a new century. ... Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. ... Salomé, originally written in French in 1891 and translated into English, is a tragedy by the Irish-born playwright Oscar Wilde. ... Necrophilia, although commonly thought to be only done by humans, does in fact also occur in nature. ...

Le déjeuner sur l'herbe was one of the first in a series of Parisian succès de scandales

Le déjeuner sur l'herbe by Edouard Manet (Salon des refusés, 1863): Even the Emperor was scandalised - but Manet had a nice start to his career.
Alfred Jarry shocked Paris in 1896 with the first of his absurdistic Ubu plays: Ubu Roi. The performance of this play was forbidden after the first night. No problem for Jarry: he moved the production to a puppet theatre.
A new group of artists, labelled disrespectfully Les Fauves ("The Wild Beasts") by an art critic, had their successful debut in 1905 Paris (and kept the name).
Richard Strauss had had little success with his first two operas, which today are no longer performed. Consequently, he tried something different: he set music to Wilde's Salomé in 1905, and racketed quite some scandal with this opera, including in the New York Met, where the production had to be closed after one night. But Strauss wanted more: his next opera (Elektra - 1909) was so "noisy" that cartoons appeared with Strauss directing an orchestra of animals. Then Hugo von Hoffmansthal, the textwriter of this second "successful" production, seems to have taken the right decision, in refraining Strauss from getting even bolder: Strauss's success was guaranteed without any further scandal, so Von Hoffmansthal wrote a bittersweet scenario with a theme of resigning to the fact of getting older, for Strauss's next (and after all most successful) opera. Only two world wars later Strauss would get involved in scandal again, for his way of realising what was then considered as the highest ambition: directing the Bayreuther Festspiele (which had involved sucking up to the Nazi regime). Here, however, scandal came after the success, which is more annoying.
The Rite of Spring (1913): see introduction to this article.
Parade production of 1917: see Parade (ballet).
Not a commercial success in Europe, Paul Chabas's September Morn ended up in the permanent collection of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, after being scandalised by Anthony Comstock and his Society for the Suppression of Vice

Paul Chabas had won a most prestigious prize with his September Morn in Paris. Nudity as portrayed in this painting was however far from being able to shock a Parisian public, half a century after the Déjeuner. So, notwithstanding the "official" prize, market value of the painting remained low. Then, Chabas put it on show in a New York shop window in 1913. There, for the first time in history, it appears a succes de scandale scheme was set up by a publicity agent (Harry Reichenbach), who "accidentally" coached a morality crusader along the picture. The scandal that evolved brought financial success, as well as that it secured Chabas's place in art history books (what did he care this was most often in the "Kitsch" chapter - the painting ended up in one of the most prestigious museums of New York).

Le déjeuner sur lherbe by Edouard Manet, painted in 1862. ... Le déjeuner sur lherbe by Edouard Manet, painted in 1862. ... The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur lherbe), originally titled The Bath (Le Bain), is an oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet. ... Édouard Manet (portrait by Nadar) Édouard Manet (January 23, 1832 - April 30, 1883) was a noted French painter. ... Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808, Paris - January 9, 1873, Chislehurst, Kent, England) was a President of France, and later, Emperor of the French. ... Alfred Jarry (September 8, 1873–November 1, 1907) was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mothers side, a fact which would have a profound impact on some of his writings. ... Ubu Roi is a play written by Alfred Jarry in 1896 that is the defining classic of the Dada art movement in theater. ... The Dessert: Harmony in Red (1908) by Henri Matisse Les Fauves (French for wild beasts), a short-lived movement of early Modernist art, emphasized paint itself and the use of deep color over the representational values retained by Impressionism, even with its focus on light and the moment. ... Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ... Salome is a German opera by Richard Strauss. ... The Metropolitan Opera is located at Lincoln Center in New York, New York. ... Elektra is a German opera by Richard Strauss. ... Hugo von Hofmannsthal (February 1, 1874 - July 15, 1929), was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. ... A world war is a military conflict affecting the majority of the worlds countries. ... The annual Bayreuth Festival in Bayreuth, Germany attracts visitors from all over the world. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... Parade is a ballet with music by Erik Satie and a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau. ... september Morn 1912 painted by paul Emile Chabas (1869-1937) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with copyright terms of life of the author plus 50 years. ... september Morn 1912 painted by paul Emile Chabas (1869-1937) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with copyright terms of life of the author plus 50 years. ... There is also the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), located in Manhattan. ... Anthony Comstock (March 7, 1844 - September 21, 1915) created the Society for Suppression of Vice in 1873, an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public. ... Paul Emile Chabas was a painter and member of the Académie des beaux-arts living from 1869 to 1937 in France. ... Matinee de Septembre (or September Morn) was painted by the French artist Paul Emile Chabas (1869-1937) over three summers, ending in 1912, and won a medal in a Paris art show that year but did not create any sensation. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th) - Land 122,409 km² - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Harry Reichenbach (????-1931) was a US press agent and publicist who dreamed up sensational publicity stunts to promote the movies of his clients. ... Kitsch is a term categorizing art that is considered an inferior copy of an existing style. ...

No such thing as bad publicity

This would not be the last time that Comstockery fanned the success it wanted to fence: "I expect it will be the making of me" said Mae West to the press in 1927, under arrest after the Society for the Suppression of Vice had manoeuvred to get her play titled Sex re-censored by the Police Department Play Jury - a few years later, over forty, her sex symbol status paid off: her 1935 film contract made her the highest paid woman till that day. Anthony Comstock (March 7, 1844 - September 21, 1915) created the Society for Suppression of Vice in 1873, an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public. ... MAE-West is a major Internet peering point located in San Jose, California. ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sex is a 1926 play, written by, and starring, Mae West. ... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ...

Later in the 20th century several more succès de scandale examples would show what a powerful instrument scandal can be for turning a publicity campaign into a success, to the point it can make any other publicity agent's trick redundant. One of the most notorious examples of that was the late 20th century publicity campaign by Benetton. It scored at least two major scandals: one regarding the controversial photographs (e.g. of people dying of AIDS) that were used to promote colourful Italian clothing; the second scandal went maybe even deeper, while the brain behind the campaign, the photographer Oliviero Toscani wiped the floor with the world of publicity at large: absolutely no other publicity device than photos unrelated to the brand that was promoted had been used to reach soaring high sales for that brand: Toscani had scorned every rule of the book. And this feat probably made Toscani the most famous publicity photographer ever. Benetton is a global upmarket clothing brand, based in Treviso, Italy, also well known for its sponsorship of the Formula One team of the same name and high_profile European basketball and rugby clubs. ... AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, sometimes written Aids) is a global, human epidemic. ... Oliviero Toscani is known worldwide as the photographer who designed controversial advertising campaigns for Italian brand Benetton during the nineties. ...

No such thing as bad publicity

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