The 1855 Paris World Fair's jury accepted eleven of Courbet's works for the Exposition Universelle, but "The Painter's Studio" was not among them. In an act of self promotion and defiance, Courbet, with the help of Alfred Bruyas, opened his own exhibition (The Pavilion of Realism) close to the official exposition; this was a forerunner of the various Salon des Refusés. Very little praise was forthcoming, and Eugène Delacroix was one of the few painters who supported the work. Of the painting, Courbet stated that "The Painter's Studio" "represents society at its best, its worst, and its average."