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Throughout his life, Picasso was captivated by the performing arts and carefully crafted his own performance as the artist-genius in real life. Theatre Picasso, staged by artist Wu Tsang and writer Enrique Fuenteblanca, explores both of these intertwined themes while also engaging with a contemporary cultural concern: that much celebrated art may have ethically questionable origins. This latter issue likely informs the exhibition’s unusual structure, which opens with Picasso’s obscene imagery and concludes with his engagement with African and Pacific art. Regardless of one’s view on this framing or how successful it is, the exhibition offers fascinating new insights into the complex figure who helped define twentieth-century art. Featuring over fifty works across a range of media, from painting and sculpture to collage and textiles, it includes iconic pieces such as Weeping Woman (1937) and Woman in a Red Armchair (1932). Yet its central focus remains Picasso’s fascination with performance which can be seen in his obsession with bullfighting, and his reimagining of the bull and Minotaur as symbols of his own identity. Picasso's constructed persona also appears in Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1956 film The Mystery of Picasso. Among the highlights of this retrospective is The Three Dancers (1925), alongside a compelling projection which reveals the process behind some of his works. However, perhaps the most intriguing piece, is Picasso’s illustration of Honoré de Balzac’s The Unknown Masterpiece, which unites the exhibition’s two key themes: Picasso’s dialogue with other art forms and his lifelong preoccupation with self-presentation, the interplay between inspiration and ego, the mask and the man. Theatre Picasso is a profound insight into Picasso’s creative process and his manipulation of the artistic muse. It is an exhibition that should not be missed.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Image: Tapestry Le Minotaure 1935. Photograph: François Fernandez / © Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2025.
When, Where, Getting there:
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