Theatre Picasso

Disappointing exhibition at Tate Modern examining Picasso and performance. 

Curated by, or as the blurb says ‘staged by’ contemporary artist Wu Tsang and author and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, it treated the theme quite widely, looking not only at Picasso’s work for theatre and how he was influenced by it but also at how he himself became a performance.

The layout was overly clever, presenting some of it on a stage so the visitors became part of the display but a large screen showing animations of his work seemed to sideline the lovely array of paintings which were there. 

The reason for the show was the centenary of the Tates large work by Picasso “The Three Dancers” which felt like it had its back to the display space although it could also be seen from the lower ‘auditorium’ space.

I know a show just on Picasso’s work for the theatre would seem old fashioned and, to be honest I think I might have seen it already, but it would have been a better context for the star painting. An alternative might have been to look at the artist in 1925 when he painted it. 

Closes 12 April 2026

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