At the Theater (The Courtesan)
1901
Oil on panel
13.3 × 20 cm (5.2 × 7.9 in)
SEE IT IN PERSON
● On view now — Collection Gallery, Room 10, East Wall
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · verified July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
Painted in Madrid, this panel belongs to a genre of painting popularized in 19th-century France by Renoir, Degas, and Cassatt. The setting of a "loge" or a theater box became a microcosm for exploring the social circuits of looking: at the theater, the line between audience and stage performer easily blurs. While Picasso exaggerates the scale and ornamentation of the woman's costume, the shadowy presence of a man at left is integral to the composition.
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