Costume design for the ballet Le Tricorne

The Costume design for the ballet Le Tricorne by Pablo Picasso, created in 1920, documents the Spanish artist's significant contribution to modern theater and stage design. This specific work is classified as an Illustrated Book, utilizing the demanding printmaking techniques of collotype and pochoir. The image originates from a published portfolio of thirty-two collotypes, thirty-one of which were meticulously finished with pochoir, a hand-stenciled coloring process that allows for brilliant, flat areas of saturated color.

Picasso’s intensive collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes marked a pivotal moment in his career during the late 1910s and early 1920. While the ballet Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), based on Spanish folklore, premiered in London in 1919, this comprehensive portfolio of prints detailing the production designs was issued the following year. The work reflects the cultural vibrancy of the post-war era, where the themes and traditions of Spanish culture, as interpreted by choreographer Léonide Massine and composer Manuel de Falla, held strong international appeal.

This piece captures the distinctive visual style Picasso developed for the stage, which often incorporated elements of Classicism while maintaining the graphic authority of his Cubist past. The choice of collotype ensured the precise photographic reproduction of Picasso’s original drawings, capturing subtle tonalities and textures that are then enhanced by the vibrant application of pochoir color. This sophisticated method allowed for the dissemination and preservation of the ephemeral costume designs in a limited-edition format. As a crucial document chronicling Picasso's engagement with the performing arts, this 1920 Illustrated Book is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.