Set design for the ballet Le Tricorne

Set design for the ballet Le Tricorne by Pablo Picasso is an exceptional fine art print dating from 1920, classified within the illustrated book genre. This work comes from a highly significant portfolio containing thirty-two collotypes, thirty-one of which were enhanced with the pochoir coloring technique. The piece reproduces Picasso’s monumental stage design for the 1919 Ballets Russes production of Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), a pivotal work in the Spanish artist’s career that showcased his engagement with theatrical modernism.

The creation utilizes the collotype method, which provides the foundational image. Collotype is prized for its ability to capture subtle tonal variations and fine detail analogous to photography. Over this base, the pochoir technique was applied. Pochoir is a labor-intensive hand-coloring process involving the meticulous use of stencils. This process allows for the application of vivid, flat areas of color, which accurately reflects the bold palette of Picasso's original design sketches. The publication of these high-quality fine art prints in 1920 ensured that these influential stage designs reached a wide international audience, cementing Picasso's versatility beyond the traditional canvases he painted.

The design itself reflects the artist’s aesthetic shift toward Classical and Neoclassical forms following World War I, a period often characterized by a retour à l'ordre or 'return to order.' While the design references the artist's Spanish heritage through the ballet’s subject matter, its clean, monumental lines and simplified perspective demonstrate the restraint characteristic of the 1920s stylistic evolution. This important historical work is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Due to the age of the underlying original work, high-resolution images of these influential prints are frequently made available through public domain initiatives facilitated by the collecting institution.