Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain
View source →The Actor
Pablo Picasso, 1904–1905
Technical Details
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
194.3 × 112.4 cm (76.5 × 44.3 in)
Style
Rose Period
Decade
1900s
About This Work
The Actor is one of the largest paintings of Picasso's Rose Period, depicting a theatrical figure in a pose of elegant self-presentation. The tall, slender figure stands against a neutral background, his right hand raised in a gesture that is simultaneously theatrical and intimate. The warm pinks and ochres of the Rose Period palette give the figure a warmth and humanity that distinguishes it from the cold blues of the preceding period.
Painted in the winter of 1904–1905, The Actor reflects Picasso's fascination with the world of circus and theater that he encountered in Montmartre. The Metropolitan Museum acquired the painting in 1952. It is one of the earliest works in which Picasso's Rose Period style is fully realized.
Current Location
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Public Collection — Open to visitors
Visit museum website →Valuation & Provenance
2026 Estimated Value
$80–120 million (est.)
* 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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