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 will bring together around 50 works by one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, exploring how he imbued his work with a sense of theatricality. Coinciding with Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary year, Theatre Picasso will continue the gallery’s history of presenting foundational figures from art history in fresh ways.
Celebrated contemporary artist Wu Tsang and writer and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca will stage Picasso’s art, inspired by his approach to performance. The Three Dancers will be at the heart of the exhibition, shown alongside Tate’s entire collection of works by Picasso, featuring iconic paintings as Weeping Woman 1937 and Nude Woman in a Red Armchair 1932. The exhibition will also showcase prints, drawings, sculptures, textile works and collages, interwoven with key loans from leading Picasso museums in France. Tsang and Fuenteblanca will invite contemporary choreographers and dancers to respond to Theatre Picasso in an accompanying programme.
Picasso not only used 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 will 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 will 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 will recognise 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. Supported by the Huo Family Foundation. With additional support from The Theatre Picasso Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate Americas Foundation and Tate Members.
Theatre Picasso is staged by artist Wu Tsang and author Enrique Fuenteblanca.
