Harlequin
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Characters from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, Harlequin in particular, make a frequent appearance in Picasso’s oeuvre, especially in his work after World War I. The sitter for this picture was the painter Jacinto Salvadó. More than a portrait or even a depiction of a theatrical motif, this work is a meditation on art-making itself. The picture was brought to varying levels of finish, as represented by the summarily rendered background and the highly realistic and finely detailed face.
Artwork Details
- Title: Harlequin
- Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
- Date: 1923
- Geography: Country of Origin France
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 51 3/16 × 38 3/16 in. (130 × 97 cm)
Framed: 62 in. × 49 5/8 in. × 3 3/4 in. (157.5 × 126 × 9.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Centre Pompidou, Paris; Musée national d'art moderne/Centre de création industrielle, Bequest of Baroness Eva Gourgaud, 1965
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. © CNAC / MNAM / Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY.
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art