Descripción
The motif of this poster has been reproduced in another poster published for the Catalan Art exhibition at the Kunsthalle in Berlin held on 23 August 1978. Two posters have also been made of the painting “Harlequin” using a detail of the Harlequin’s head as a subject. These are two different versions for the exhibition entitled “Picasso and Barcelona” held in Madrid in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council, in the rooms of the National Library from February to March 1982.
Picasso painted “Harlequin of Barcelona” during his stay in Barcelona in 1917, although its composition is attributed to influences during his trip to Italy. His deep contact with classical art soon bore fruit. One of the results was the Harlequin reproduced on this poster. As for the subject itself, it should not be forgotten that in 1916, when Cocteau was trying to convince Pablo to participate in the ballet Parade, the latter showed up wearing a harlequin costume. This remained in Picasso’s studio when he lived on Rue Schoelcheter and was used as a costume by Jacinto Salvadó in 1923, when he posed as a model for several versions of the painting.
The harlequin on the poster and those made during his summer stay in Barcelona were kept at his mother’s house. It was loaned for the Barcelona Art Exhibition of 1919 with catalogue number 517. That same year, according to the museum catalogue, Picasso donated it to the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, being the first of his works donated to the city.
