From September 17, Tate Modern is set to present Theatre Picasso, a major new exhibition marking 100 years since Pablo Picasso painted The Three Dancers. Curated by contemporary artist Wu Tsang and author-curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, the show reframes Picasso’s work through the lens of performance and persona.
More than 45 works from Tate’s collection will go on display, joined by significant loans from across Europe, including paintings, sculptures, textiles, and works on paper — some of which have never before been shown in the UK.
Picasso’s lifelong fascination with performers — dancers, bullfighters, entertainers — shaped both his art and the myth of “Picasso the Artist.” The exhibition explores how he crafted this persona, and how contemporary ideas of performativity can shed new light on his practice.
Transforming the George Economou Gallery into a theatrical setting, Tsang and Fuenteblanca will stage Picasso’s works as if in dialogue with popular culture, the avant-garde, and the artist’s own mythology.
Theatre Picasso is presented with exhibition designer Lucie Rebeyrol (studio Roll), in partnership with White & Case and supported by the Huo Family Foundation, Tate Members, Tate Americas Foundation, and The Theatre Picasso Exhibition Supporters Circle.
Header: Pablo Picasso, The Three Dancers 1925 Tate. © Succession Picasso / DACS 2024
