Tate Modern’s new exhibition, Theatre Picasso, brings the museum’s entire Picasso collection into a single narrative. Curated by Wu Tsang and Enrique Fuenteblanca, this approach prioritizes a theatrical setup that makes the viewer part of the stage rather than deeply exploring the artist himself.
The exhibition guides visitors through a plywood passageway reminiscent of backstage, into a darkened gallery space, concluding with a proscenium curtain that turns fellow visitors into a “spectacle.” While this theatrical framework is an intriguing idea, it feels more like a universal stage mechanism than a meaningful addition to Picasso’s legacy.
The works lack a consistent chronological or thematic presentation. One room groups female figures seated in chairs, while another crams different periods under broad headings like “Animals, War, and Violence” or “The Artist’s Studio.” Questions about Picasso’s interest in theater design, music, or his performative demeanor in front of cameras are raised but left underdeveloped throughout the exhibition.
The show’s strength lies in highlighting Picasso’s tragicomic staging sensibility. However, presenting the entire collection this way creates an “anti-curation” effect. A more disciplined selection—focusing, for instance, on Picasso’s theater set designs or his contributions to poet Aimé Césaire’s anti-colonial texts—could have made the exhibition far more compelling.
Theatre Picasso is on view at Tate Modern until April 16, 2026.
