description Three Musicians Overview
Three Musicians is the title of two large Synthetic Cubist paintings made by Pablo Picasso in 1921. Each presents three masked performers assembled from sharply bounded, interlocking areas of color that resemble cut and layered paper. The figures are commonly identified as a Pierrot, a Harlequin, and a monk, and one version belongs to the Museum of Modern Art in New York while the other is held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
insights Ranking position
Three Musicians ranks #54 of 160 in the Painting ranking, behind The Supper at Emmaus, ahead of Portrait of Dr. Gachet.
help Three Musicians FAQ
Who are the three figures in Picasso's Three Musicians?
A masked Pierrot plays the clarinet at left, Harlequin plays a guitar in the center, and a monk holds sheet music at right. Pierrot and Harlequin come from the Italian theatrical tradition of commedia dell'arte.
Where is the hidden dog in Three Musicians?
The dog's dark body is concealed beneath and behind the musicians, blending into the brown background. Its head appears toward the left, while legs and a raised tail emerge around Harlequin's lower body.
Why does the painting look like a paper collage if it is made with oil paint?
Picasso constructed the figures from flat, sharply bounded shapes that imitate cut and pasted paper. This visual language comes from Synthetic Cubism, which Picasso and Georges Braque developed through collage experiments.
Did Picasso make more than one version of Three Musicians?
Yes, Picasso painted two large versions at Fontainebleau during the summer of 1921. The Museum of Modern Art owns one, while the other is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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