Image: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
View source →Portrait of Paul as Harlequin
Pablo Picasso, 1924
Technical Details
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
130 × 97.5 cm (51.2 × 38.4 in)
Style
Neoclassicism / Painting
Decade
1920s
About This Work
Picasso's son Paulo (Paul) is depicted in a harlequin costume, his small figure rendered with the tender precision of a loving father. The boy's serious, slightly solemn expression contrasts with the festive costume, creating a portrait of childhood innocence dressed in the adult world's theatrical disguise. The painting is one of the most tender works in Picasso's entire oeuvre.
Paulo was born in 1921, the son of Picasso and Olga Khokhlova. Picasso painted him several times during the 1920s, and these portraits of his son are among the most warmly human works of his Neoclassical period. The harlequin costume connects Paulo to Picasso's own lifelong identification with the figure.
Current Location
Musée National Picasso-Paris, Paris, France
Public Collection — Open to visitors
Visit museum website →Valuation & Provenance
2026 Estimated Value
Priceless / Not for sale
* Estimates are based on comparable auction results and market analysis. Not a formal appraisal.
Last Known Sale
No public auction record — held in permanent museum collection
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