Definition of VERNISSAGE

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Vernissage has its roots in the old practice of setting aside a day before an exhibition's opening for artists to varnish and put finishing touches to their paintings-a tradition that reportedly dates to at least 1809, when it was instituted by England's Royal Academy of Arts. (One famous member of the Academy, Joseph Mallord William Turner, was notorious for making major changes to his paintings on this day.) English speakers originally referred to this day of finishing touches simply as "varnishing day," but sometime around 1912 we also began using the French term vernissage (literally, "varnishing"). Today, however, you are more likely to encounter vino than varnish at a vernissage, which is often a gala event marking the opening of an exhibition.

Examples of vernissage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like its other iterations in Miami and Basel, Switzerland, the weeklong calendar of events is more than just an art fair; buyers abound and circulate at dinners, there are artist meet and greets aplenty, and, yes, more than a handful of vernissages. — Zachary Weiss, Vogue, "Pharrell and Michelle Yeoh Attend amfAR’s Hong Kong Gala, Held at the City’s Glitzy New Rosewood Hotel," 26 Mar. 2019 The houses began aggressively hyping a never-ending flow of new inventory, and with it, a jet-set lifestyle of multi-million dollar auctions, exclusive gallery dinners, and VIP art fair vernissages. — Rachel Wetzler, The New Republic, "How Modern Art Serves the Rich," 26 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vernissage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for vernissage

borrowed from French, "day before an exhibition opens reserved for artists to varnish and put finishing touches on their paintings" (probably after English varnishing day), literally, "varnishing," from vernisser "to varnish" (going back to Middle French vernecier, vernicier) + -age -age — more at varnish entry 2

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