Where Is Three Musicians? See It at This Museum

Q: Where can I see Three Musicians?

Picasso made two versions. One is at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York; the other is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Q: What style is Three Musicians?

It is a landmark work of Synthetic Cubism, characterized by flat, overlapping shapes and collage-like compositions, rather than the fragmented forms of earlier Analytic Cubism.

Q: Who are the three musicians?

The figures represent commedia dell'arte characters: Harlequin (with a diamond pattern), Pierrot (in white), and possibly a Franciscan monk. These theatrical characters appeared throughout Picasso's career.

Pablo Picasso executed this monumental work in 1921 at Fontainebleau. Three figures, possibly representing Harlequin, Pierrot, and a monk, play their instruments in a shallow, stage-like space. The flat, interlocking shapes create a complex visual puzzle characteristic of Synthetic Cubism. Two versions exist; this one is at MoMA in New York.

The commedia dell'arte characters had appeared in Picasso's work since his Rose Period. Here they're transformed into bold, geometric forms in rich browns, blacks, and accents of blue and white. Despite the abstract treatment, the composition suggests a mysterious, theatrical atmosphere. Many scholars see the work as a culmination of Picasso's Cubist experiments.

Picasso made two versions. One is at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York; the other is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

It is a landmark work of Synthetic Cubism, characterized by flat, overlapping shapes and collage-like compositions, rather than the fragmented forms of earlier Analytic Cubism.

The figures represent commedia dell'arte characters: Harlequin (with a diamond pattern), Pierrot (in white), and possibly a Franciscan monk. These theatrical characters appeared throughout Picasso's career.

Three Musicians

Details

The Artist

More by Pablo Picasso

The Three Dancers

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

Garçon à la pipe (Boy with a Pipe)

Dora Maar au Chat

Related Expressionism Works

The Scream

Madonna

The Balcony

Anxiety

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

Music in the Tuileries

Olympia

The Sick Child

About Three Musicians

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