Harlequin

1923

Not on view

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

Overview

Exhibition History

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
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art