The context of the organization of this exhibition was linked to the arrival in Portugal of an international touring exhibition entitled Três Tendências da Arte Francesa Actual (Three Trends in Contemporary French Art), sponsored by the French State and previously presented in Belgium and Ireland. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG) decided to host this exhibition on its premises, proposing some changes justified “by the desire to ‘refresh’ and by the circumstance that some of the collectors wish to see their works one again...” (Note by the Fine Arts Department, 1 Apr. 1971, Gulbenkian Archives, SBA 15370).

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation therefore intended to extend the chronological scope of the event “so that it could cover, with an introductory aspect, other works than those planned”. The intention was to take advantage of the initiative to establish a chronological articulation between the exhibition Um Século de Arte Francesa 1850-1950 - organized by the Foundation in 1965 - and this most recent one, centered on the paths of French Art after 1950 (Arte Francesa depois de 1950, 1971).

The French organizers and the exhibition curator Julien Alvard agreed to this adjustment, but suggested that the costs of including new works should be fully funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Note by the Fine Arts Department, 1 Apr. 1971, Gulbenkian Archives, SBA 15370). In this way, it was decided to increase both the number of artists represented portrayed in the exhibition and the chronological scope, which retreated until 1950.

The narrative of the exhibition was built around two sections: a new one, created for Lisbon, designated as “Tendências da arte francesa depois de 1950”, which displayed the works of 36 artists, and the original one, entitled "Três tendências actuais da arte francesa” (Three current tendencies of the French art), in which were represented works of 42 artists, grouped around three distinct points: I. Scientific Trends; II - Social Trends; III - Art and Nature.

The Portuguese Professor and historian José-Augusto França would comment that the organization of this exhibition in two sections turned out to be confusing "in its designation, dates and presented works", pointing out the discrepancies between them: the original nucleus was “well thought and structured”, the other one was clearly “improvised, without major responsibilities” (França, Colóquio/Artes, No. 3, June 1971, pp. 10-21).

The exhibition was held in Lisbon and in Porto, the Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis, was "kindly provided for this purpose by the Ministry of National Education" (Arte Francesa depois de 1950, 1971) and according to an article on the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation journal Colóquio. Artes (No. 4, Oct. 1971, p. 69), the exhibition in Lisbon was visited by 18,000 people.