Theatre Picasso

Tate Modern exhibition: 17 September 2025 - 13 April 2026
Marking the centenary of one of Pablo Picasso's most famous paintings, The Three Dancers, this exciting publication brings to life the artist's performative persona and his interest in dance, music and theatre, alongside stunning reproductions of Picasso works.

Filmmaker and artist Wu Tsang, whose practice is concerned with the act of performing, hidden histories and marginalised figures, collaborates here with the author and researcher Enrique Fuenteblanca to tell the story of Picasso 'the performer'. Along with other contributors, they cast light on his interest in dance, music and theatre, but also his highly performative persona as an artist, cultivating his own image and his contribution to the modernist cult of the individual artistic genius.

They also explore his constant gaze towards popular, or 'folk' performance, such as the circus, the corrida, flamenco dancers, the 'othered' in society, and groups who use performance as an emancipatory tool.

This beautifully designed book addresses head-on some of the complexities of Picasso's life and work from a highly unusual and compelling perspective.

About the Authors

Rosalie Doubal is Senior Curator, International Art (Performance & Participation) at Tate Modern.

Natalia Sidlina is Curator, International Art at Tate Modern.

Wu Tsang is a filmmaker, artist and performer based in New York and Berlin. Her work is concerned with hidden histories, marginalised narratives, and the act of performing itself. Tsang's projects have been presented at Tate Modern, the Stedelijk Museum, Migros Museum, the Whitney Museum, SFMOMA, and MoCA Los Angeles.