ticketsMember | Make a donation

Harlequin

1927
Not on view
The presence of Harlequin in this enigmatic picture—signaled by the bicorne hat and the lozenges at lower right—identifies this work as a self-portrait, for Harlequin was the artist's known alter ego. At the left margin, Picasso painted the shadow of his own profile, as if he were observing the disorientation of Harlequin and, by extension, himself. When he painted the picture, Picasso felt he was trapped in a failed marriage, the victim of his mentally unstable wife, Olga Kokhlova. He had already met the young woman who would become his lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Harlequin
  • Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
  • Date: 1927
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 32 in. × 25 5/8 in. (81.3 × 65.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls Collection, 1997
  • Object Number: 1997.149.5
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
291, No. 1, March 1915, Pablo Picasso Spanish
291, No. 1, March 1915
Multiple artists/makers
1915
Picasso, His Work and His Public, Pablo Picasso Spanish, Etching
Picasso, His Work and His Public
Multiple artists/makers
1968
Head of a Woman, Pablo Picasso Spanish, Pastel on paper
Head of a Woman
Pablo Picasso
1921
Mother and Child by a Fountain, Pablo Picasso Spanish, Oil on canvas
Mother and Child by a Fountain
Pablo Picasso
1901
Reclining Bather with a Book, Pablo Picasso Spanish, Graphite on paper
Reclining Bather with a Book
Pablo Picasso
1921

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Pablo Picasso - Harlequin - The Metropolitan Museum of Art