Pablo Picasso, The Three Dancers 1925
Tate. © Succession Picasso / DACS 2024
Tate Modern invites visitors to enter Theatre Picasso, a major exhibition marking the centenary of Picasso’s iconic painting The Three Dancers 1925. The exhibition brings together over 50 works by one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, exploring aspects of performance in Picasso’s work. Coinciding with Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary year, Theatre Picasso continues the gallery’s history of presenting foundational figures from art history in fresh ways.
The exhibition is ‘staged’ by celebrated contemporary artist Wu Tsang and writer and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, who explore the meaning of performance through Picasso’s work. The Three Dancers sits at the heart of the exhibition, alongside famous paintings such as Weeping Woman 1937 and Nude Woman in a Red Armchair 1932. The exhibition also showcases prints, drawings, sculptures, textile works and collages, interwoven with key loans from leading Picasso museums in France. Tsang and Fuenteblanca will invite artists, dancers and choreographers to respond to Theatre Picasso in an accompanying performance programme of dance and flamenco.
Picasso was fascinated by performers and their boundless capacity for transformation, and he approached painting as a dramatic act in itself. Central to this was the construction of his own public persona or brand – Picasso ‘the artist’ – a mythologised version of Picasso which portrayed him as both a celebrated creative genius and an outsider. This figure accompanied Picasso throughout his life and continues to shape how we imagine the role of the artist today.
In Picasso’s own work, this persona was often expressed through fantastical and striking imagery, such as in the wool and silk tapestry Minotaur 1935, which will be publicly displayed in the UK for the first time, on loan from Musée Picasso, Antibes. Henri-George Clouzot's 1956 film The Mystery of Picasso also features in the exhibition, following Picasso in his studio as he creates works in real-time, a study of his vigorous creative process in which we see him throw his body into the act of painting.
Picasso not only used drama and theatricality as a theme but also looked consistently towards popular entertainers and those pushed to the margins for inspiration, choosing to depict artists working in the circus world, bullfighters and flamenco dancers as well as artists’ models. Such figures appear throughout the exhibition in works such as Girl in a Chemise c.1905, Horse with a Youth in Blue 1905-6 and Bullfight Scene 1960 from Tate’s collection, alongside Acrobat 1930 lent by Musée national Picasso-Paris. Tsang and Fuenteblanca reflect on the status of these figures as they are represented in the work of Picasso, and within the context of the art museum. The exhibition recognises both the continued relevance of Picasso and the fascinating contradictions that run throughout his life and work.
Theatre Picasso is presented in The George Economou Gallery. In partnership with White & Case. Also supported by the Huo Family Foundation. With additional support from The Theatre Picasso Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate Americas Foundation and Tate Members.
Curated by Wu Tsang and Enrique Fuenteblanca with Rosalie Doubal, Senior Curator, International Art (Performance & Participation); Natalia Sidlina, Curator, International Art, and Andrew de Brún, Assistant Curator, International Art. Exhibition design by Lucie Rebeyrol, studio Roll.
Tate Members get unlimited free entry to all Tate exhibitions. Become a Member at tate.org.uk/members. Everyone aged 16-25 can visit all Tate exhibitions for £5 by joining Tate Collective. To join for free, visit tate.org.uk/tate-collective.
For press requests, email pressoffice@tate.org.uk or call +44(0)20 7887 8730. To download press images, visit Tate’s Dropbox.
Listings information
Theatre Picasso
17 September 2025 – 12 April 2026
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG
Open daily 10.00–18.00
Tickets available at tate.org.uk and +44(0)20 7887 8888
Free for Members. Join at tate.org.uk/members
About Wu Tsang and Enrique Fuenteblanca
Wu Tsang (b. 1982) is an award-winning filmmaker and visual artist who combines documentary and narrative techniques with fantastical detours into the imaginary. Her projects have been presented at museums, biennials, and film and theatre festivals internationally, including the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, SXSW, Holland Festival. Tsang is a 2018 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and has won numerous awards including Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations. From 2019-2024 she was a director-in-residence at the Schauspielhaus Zürich theatre. Tsang’s celebrated documentary film Wildness (2012) made its UK premiere at Tate Modern and her film installation A day in the life of bliss (2014) is on long term loan to the collection.
Enrique Fuenteblanca (b. 1996) is a writer, artist/curator, and creative producer working at the intersection of art and critical thought. He is the author of several poetry collections and regularly contributes dramaturgical texts for contemporary dance and flamenco. His ongoing collaborations include work with artists such as Wu Tsang and the collective Moved by the Motion or Rocío Molina, with presentations at the Venice Dance Biennale, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid) and De Balie/Hartwig Art Foundation (Amsterdam). Fuenteblanca is a member of BNV Producciones and the Independent Platform for Modern and Contemporary Flamenco Studies.
About White and Case
White & Case is a leading global law firm with lawyers in 43 offices across 29 countries. Among the first US-based law firms to establish a truly global presence, White & Case provides counsel and representation in every area of law that affects cross-border business. Clients value both the breadth of the White & Case global network and the depth of its US, English and local law capabilities, and rely on the firm for their complex cross-border transactions, as well as their representation in arbitration and litigation proceedings.
White & Case Chair Heather McDevitt said: “White & Case has a longstanding commitment to supporting the arts globally. We are incredibly proud to partner with Tate to support Theatre Picasso and celebrate the centenary of Picasso’s renowned The Three Dancers. This groundbreaking exhibition will reframe Picasso’s work and explore its theatrical side, providing a chance for many to see the artist with a new perspective”.
Related publication
Theatre Picasso
Edited by Rosalie Doubal and Natalia Sidlina with Wu Tsang and Enrique Fuenteblanca
Published September 2025, Paperback £25
Marking the centenary of one of Pablo Picasso’s most famous paintings, The Three Dancers, this exciting publication brings to life the artist's performative persona and his interest in dance, music and theatre, alongside stunning reproductions of Picasso works.
Published to accompany Tate Modern’s exhibition Theatre Picasso.
Related events
October 2025
Join us for an evening of dance and music reimagining flamenco and opera. Yinka Esi Graves moves through the Turbine Hall in Transposition, a site-specific dance exploring the links between flamenco and other forms of bodily expression. Wu Tsang and Moved by the Motion stage Composition V (rebellious birds), an adaption of the iconic tragic opera Carmen, reinterpreting the themes that Carmen embodies: love, loss and liberation.
Transposition by Yinka Esi Graves
Fri 17 & Sat 18 October 2025, 18.30-19.30, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern
Free
Composition V (rebellious birds) by Wu Tsang and Moved by the Motion
Fri 17 & Sat 18 October 2025, 20.00-21.00, South Tank, Tate Modern
£18/£16
March 2026
A lively evening of contemporary flamenco curated by Wu Tsang and Enrique Fuenteblanca.
Rocío Molina
Friday 6th and Saturday 7th March 2026, South Tank, Tate Modern
£18/£16