Tate Modern’s exhibition *Theatre Picasso*, opening this week, centers on Pablo Picasso’s painting *The Three Dancers* (1925), which the artist himself valued above *Guernica*. The show marks the painting’s 100th anniversary, featuring Tate’s entire Picasso collection alongside major loans, and is staged by artist Wu Tsang and writer-curator Enrique Fuenteblanca with contributions from contemporary dancers and choreographers. The article’s author recounts a personal journey with the painting, from initial confusion in a secondary school art room to a lifelong passion ignited by teacher Jean Morrison and a school trip to Paris.
This article matters because it connects a landmark Picasso exhibition to the broader crisis in arts education in the UK, where GCSE entries in expressive arts have halved since 2009/10. The author argues that *The Three Dancers* exemplifies art’s power to teach critical thinking, empathy, and curiosity—values that are at risk when arts subjects are systematically downgraded. The piece is both a tribute to the painting’s centenary and a call to preserve arts education for future generations.