Pablo PicassoPortraits in Disguise

Picasso’s portraits of lovers, friends, rivals and himself, many hidden behind symbols, clothing or alter egos such as the harlequin.

In every style from Cubism to his late gestural work, Picasso often coded a sitter’s identity instead of painting a likeness: a profile drawn by negative space, a telling piece of clothing, a private archetype. He cast himself in recurring roles too, above all the harlequin, a figure of transformation, as in his Harlequin of 1923, a promised gift to the museum.

Full details at lacma.org