Image: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
View source →Harlequin (Arlequin) 1923
Pablo Picasso, 1923
Technical Details
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
130 × 97 cm (51.2 × 38.2 in)
Style
Neoclassicism
Decade
1920s
About This Work
This large Neoclassical Harlequin from 1923 shows Picasso's return to monumental, solidly modeled figures during his classical phase. The figure is rendered with sculptural weight and clarity, wearing the traditional diamond-patterned costume. Unlike the fragmented Cubist Harlequins of 1915, this version celebrates the commedia dell'arte tradition with a dignified, almost melancholic grandeur.
Picasso's return to classical figuration in the early 1920s was partly influenced by his work designing sets and costumes for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The theatrical world of the commedia dell'arte — Harlequin, Pierrot, Columbine — had fascinated him since his early years in Barcelona and Paris.
Current Location
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
Keywords
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