National Gallery of Canada acquires The Foursome (The Partie Carrée) by James Tissot

A new acquisition for the National Gallery of Canada went on permanent display today. The Partie Carée (1870), by renowned French artist James Tissot (1836–1902) joins two other Tissot works in the collection, enriching the Gallery’s important holdings from the French Second Empire period (1852-70). Purchased privately from the Estate of David R. Graham, The Partie Carée has been exhibited publicly only twice—including its world premiere at the Paris Salon in 1870. “The Partie Carrée ranks among the most refined and ambitious works from Tissot’s first Paris period,” says Anabelle Kienle Poňka, Acting Senior Curator of European and American art. “A masterpiece of his Directoire series, it embodies references to history and art history with visual intelligence, wit and humour. Large in scale and exquisitely painted, it is also an important example of the era’s penchant for genre scenes that t