James Tissot (1836-1902) - Madame Eugène Pegg on a walk in Saint Germain Paris

James TISSOT
(Nantes 1836 - Chenecey-Buillon 1902)
Madame Eugène Pegg on a walk in Saint Germain
H. 49 cm; W. 32 cm
Watercolor over pencil lines
Titled, located and dated on the back

Provenance: June 15, 1999, Christie's New-York

Born in Nantes, trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and with a career on both sides of the Channel, Jacques Joseph Tissot is a major artist of the second half of the 19th century, both ambiguous and fascinating.


In the late 1850s, Tissot began his career in Paris, where his passion for Japanese art and his connections with the most influential circles nurtured his painting. In the Parisian melting pot, at a time when the modernity theorized by Baudelaire was finding expression under the brushes of Whisler, Manet and Degas, Tissot and his dandy spirit were appreciated by socialites.

After the 1870 war and the Paris Commune, he moved to London, where he pursued a high-profile career in the best circles. Gradually, his work focused on the radiant, then fading figure of his companion Kathleen Newton, a constant presence in his paintings. Her death in 1882 sealed Tissot's return to France.