ABSTRACT
Beginning in the second half of the nineteenth century, waves of recession and a period of economic crises, referred to as 'the long depression', struck the country. Because most sculptors descended from the lower classes and were highly dependent on government officials, nobility, and bourgeoisie for orders and commissions, some of them were faced with precarious financial circumstances. Possibly, salon organizers wanted to address the economic difficulties of the national sculptors, and therefore eliminated part of their foreign competition. Despite this international participation, national identity played an important role in the vision of some of the most prominent members of Les XX, especially concerning the social function of culture. The increase of the exhibition possibilities for artists in Belgium was by no means a national phenomenon. The Amsterdam International Exhibition of 1883 did feature a new generation, but only comprised those young sculptors that had proven their worth on national and other international stages.
