In Autoportrait sous trois formes, Pablo Picasso offers a remarkable vision of artistic identity and mythic selfhood. Created in 1933, this refined line drawing is both playful and profound, weaving together personal symbolism and classical allegory. With spare yet expressive linework, Picasso presents himself in three archetypal guises: as a crowned painter, a sculptor immortalized in bust, and most powerfully, as the Minotaur - lover, beast, and alter ego.

At the heart of the composition is the erotic embrace of the Minotaur and a reclining nude, a recurring motif in Picasso's mythic explorations of power and vulnerability. Around them, a theatrical gathering unfolds: a sculpted bust observes silently, while two flower-crowned figures, one playing a flute, add a pastoral calm that contrasts with the raw physicality of the foreground. The abundance of fruit, vessels, and drapery enhances the sense of a timeless feast, both sensual and sacred.

The crowned artist, likely representing Picasso himself, gazes forward as if orchestrating the scene - his role as creator inseparable from his mythologised personas. The composition becomes a visual meditation on the many masks of the artist: the divine creator, the reflective craftsman, the passionate creature.

Autoportrait sous trois formes stands as a profound exploration of the self in transformation. It reflects Picasso’s inner world during a period of emotional and creative intensity, revealing how art can become a mirror - one that refracts identity into myth, desire, and timeless form.

Printed by Lacouriere, Paris in 1939
Published by Ambroise Vollard, Paris in 1939