The Artists’ Wives, from 1885, is an oil on canvas painted by James Tissot, a French artist who lived from 1836 to 1902. It is in the Chrysler Museum of Art collection and a Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., The Grandy Fund, Landmark Communications Fund, and “An Affair to Remember.” The registration number is 1982,81.153
With this painting, James Tissot captured the ritual gathering of artists and their wives to break bread the day before the opening of the annual Paris Salon. Set on the terrace of Ledoyen, a restaurant that remains a Parisian institution, Tissot’s bustling scene includes portraits of well-known artists such as the sculptor Auguste Rodin, whose bearded, bespectacled face appears near the center. The focus is on conviviality and merriment at a state-sponsored banquet on the eve of the year’s most important exhibition.
James Tissot (French, 1836–1902), The Artists' Wives, 1885, oil on canvas, 57 1/2 x 40 in. (146.1 x 101.6 cm), Chrysler Museum of Art; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., and The Grandy Fund, Landmark Communications Fund, and "An Affair to Remember" 1982, 81.153
