Harlequin (1915)
Pablo Picasso, 1915
Technical Details
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
183.5 × 105.1 cm (72.2 × 41.4 in)
Style
Synthetic Cubism
Decade
1910s
About This Work
This large Synthetic Cubist canvas depicts a harlequin figure constructed from flat, brightly colored planes. Unlike the muted grays of Analytic Cubism, the work blazes with color — the diamond-patterned costume rendered in vivid greens, yellows, and blacks. The figure is immediately recognizable despite its Cubist construction, demonstrating the more legible, decorative quality of Synthetic Cubism.
Painted in the year of the death of Picasso's close friend Eva Gouel (Marcelle Humbert), this work is sometimes interpreted as a memorial — the harlequin, Picasso's alter-ego, rendered in the brilliant colors of a carnival mask that conceals grief. It is one of MoMA's most celebrated Cubist works.
Current Location
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
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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