1. a private view of paintings before public exhibition.
Word OriginFrench, literally ‘varnishing’, originally referring to the day prior to an exhibition when artists were allowed to retouch and varnish hung work.
A vernissage is a preview of an art exhibition, which may be private, before the formal opening. If the vernissage is not open to the public, but only to invited guests, it is often called a private view. Wikipedia