Tate Modern's Picasso exhibition opens today: Ticket details and more

A modern master has returned to London. The Tate Modern’s latest Picasso exhibition opens today, September 17th.

If you’ve been visiting galleries for a while, you’ve likely seen your fair share of Picasso paintings, but this latest exhibition has a slightly different angle.

The Tate Modern’s Theatre Picasso features works “staged by contemporary artists” rather than the usual gallery curators.

Artist Wu Tsang and poet/author Enrique Fuenteblanca have curated the exhibition, which celebrates the 100 years since Picasso created The Three Dancers, one of his better-known works.

“They will transform the exhibition space into a theatre for displaying over 45 works by Picasso from Tate's collection, alongside key European loans. This includes paintings, sculpture, textiles and works on paper, some never seen in the UK before,” says the Tate.

The Guardian called it “a riotous celebration of his genius,” in a 5-star review.

Theatre Picasso is not the largest exhibition in the Tate Modern, but it’s not the most expensive either. You’ll pay £15 a ticket online, a few quid cheaper than the £18 Edward Burra Tate Britain exhibition also on show at present.

Or if you’d rather spend a whole heap more, the Tate Modern also offers lunch and dinner packages, combining a ticket with some scran.

Picasso and Lunch costs £47 a person, with a two-course selection from the Tate Modern restaurant’s à la carte menu. Or Picasso and Dinner costs £90, for a four-course feast (£75 for Tate Modern members) — this is a special event that only takes place on October 3rd. Add the cider-based drinks pairing and you’ll pay £115, or £95 for members.

You get access to the exhibition at 6pm, ahead of dinner at 7pm.

According to the Tate archive, the last major Picasso exhibition was held in 2018, Picasso 1932 — Love, Fame, Tragedy. Ever since then, of course, you have been able to see some Picasso works as part of the gallery’s Permanent Collection.

Whenever one of these appealing exhibitions comes around, a question always pops up in the back of the mind: Is it time to get a Tate membership? At present, you’ll pay £78 for the first year, which jumps to £90 afterwards.

Current Tate Modern exhibitions include Emily Kam Kngwarray and Do Ho Suh, while, as mentioned earlier, Edward Burra is on at the Tate Britain alongside surrealist Ithell Colquhuon. Lee Miller and Turner/Contable exhibitions are also set to open before the year is out.

Theatre Picasso is on show until April 12th, 2026.

• There’s a new David Hockney exhibition heading to London