Costume design for the ballet Le Tricorne

Costume design for the ballet Le Tricorne by Pablo Picasso, created in 1920, captures the dynamic synergy between modern art and the performing arts of the post-war era. This work is a significant example of the Spanish artist’s extensive involvement in theatrical production, stemming from his key collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Unlike his typical paintings and sculptures, this piece is classified as an Illustrated Book component, executed in the exacting technique of collotype and pochoir. The process involved the meticulous application of hand-coloring (pochoir) over a photographic reproduction (collotype), lending the image a vibrant, almost painterly quality while allowing for precise reproduction in a series of art prints.

The ballet Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), which premiered in 1919, was based on a traditional Spanish folk tale, providing fertile ground for Picasso to incorporate elements of his cultural background. The designs for the costumes and sets allowed Picasso to merge his ongoing Cubist sensibilities with the neoclassical figurative style he explored extensively throughout the 1920s. This specific design demonstrates the geometric precision inherent in his approach to the human form, combined with the bold color necessary for visibility on stage. The portfolio, comprising thirty-two collotypes, served to document and disseminate the visual language of one of the most important artistic collaborations of the period, securing its status as an influential Illustrated Book.

Although created as a preparatory sketch for a theatrical production, the final printed version functions as fine art documenting the transient nature of performance. Picasso’s contribution to Le Tricorne remains a touchstone for understanding modernist stage design, merging high art principles with popular culture. This historic piece from 1920 is now housed within the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, preserving a vital record of the Spanish master’s diverse output across painting, drawing, and theatrical design.