The exhibition had a twofold effect of communicating to American artists that artmaking was about expression, not only aesthetics or realism, and at the same time showing that Europe had abandoned its conservative model of ranking artists according to a strict academic hierarchy.
Udstillingen havde den dobbelte effekt at den viste de amerikanske kunstnere at kunst handlede om at udtrykke sig, ikke kun æstetik eller realisme, og på samme tid viste den at Europa havde forladt sin konservative model med at vurdere kunstnere efter et strengt akademisk hierarki.