Was Shakespeare thinking of Picasso, when he wrote:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts …
In a single move, placing a bull mask over his head, Picasso could become a Minotaur, the mythical man-beast that goes back deep in time in countless global cultures.
Picasso was indisputably a player: not only a performer but someone who could play in and with life and art. He saw his art as a continuity of action, as Francoise Gilot recalled in her notorious account:
“…. for me, a painting is a dramatic action during which reality finds itself split apart. For me that dramatic action takes precedence over all other considerations…. What counts is the drama of that plastic action, the moment at which the universe comes out of itself and meets its own destruction”.
Picasso’s self-mocking disguises are his artistic as well as real-life persona, as we discover again and again in this display.
The curatorators’ focus on “performativity” may be a bit wearisome, but the innovative enfilade of spaces is a delight. They keep us in suspense as we wait for the pièce de resistance, The Three Dancers, made 100 years ago, and treasured by Picasso, who held on to it for 40 years.
At first this monumental canvas appears full of joyous abandonment. But on closer inspection it is redolent with dark undertones. The dancers recall a tragic moment in the artist’s life – the death of close friends. Within the joy of movement, the outstretched arms of the central figure are like the agony of a crucifixion. They also look forward to the shrieking mother in Picasso’s masterpiece of the Spanish Civil War, Guernica. Thus, this dancing trio, so full of life, is also a reflection on death.
Theatre Picasso presents well-loved and familiar gems from the Tate’s own collection in experimental and fresh ways, allowing Picasso’s mercurial, multi-facetted genius to shine through. His work speaks back at us – and we should listen.
For an overview of the exhibition, Peter Clossick’s appreciation (see link below) is a must-read.
Theatre Picasso is at Tate Modern until 12 April 2026
The exhibition has been staged by the artist Wu Tsang and the writer Enrique Fuenteblanca
- THEATRE PICASSO: view from the inside by artist Peter Clossick