Picasso’s play brings to life surrealist characters The Onion, Thin Anxiety and Silence

A play written by Pablo Picasso in 1941 will be performed at London’s Nunnery Gallery, bringing to life its bizarrely named characters including The Tart, The Onion, Big Foot, Thin Anxiety and Silence.

The rarely produced Desire Caught by the Tail was most recently performed at New York’s Guggenheim in 2012, which also hosted a performance in 1984 starring Louise Bourgeois and David Hockney.

Artist and Bow Arts founder Cradeaux Alexander will direct the production, put together by Luxe.

Written by Picasso while in occupied Paris during the second world war, the highly stylised, funny and poignant play “represents the devastation of its time with equal parts angst and humour,” says the gallery.

It will take place on 25 — 26 August at Bow Arts Courtyard, London.