Harlequin (1917) is a significant work in Juan Gris’s legacy, as it is one of his rare attempts at sculpture. Harlequin was created at an important stage of Gris’s artistic career. He spent the duration of World War I (1914-1918) in France, where he had the opportunity to forge close connections with avant-garde artists like artists Henri Matisse, Jean Metzinger, and Jacques Lipchitz. His friendship with Lipchitz, a cubist sculptor, was particularly relevant to the creation of Harlequin. The two met in 1916 and were both parts of the famed artistic community of the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris. While working on the plaster sculpture Gris encountered technical difficulties and was able to complete the work with Lipchitz’s help. Gris constructed the sculpture according to the principles of the golden ratio: he carved and reworked the plaster until he achieved the desired form, after which he painted the sculpture in muted colors. Lipchitz assisted Gris with the armatures, the framework on which the sculpture is built. Because the two were very close, it is possible Gris was also influenced by Lipchitz’s sculptures: there are some stylistic similarities between Harlequin and Lipchitz’s works like Seated Figure (1917) and The Man with the Mandolin (1917).

The Harlequin is a character from the Commedia dell'arte, an Italian theatrical form that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. As a character, the Harlequin is known for his trickery; he is often driven by impulse and passion. Modern artists were drawn to the character and often depicted the Harlequin, for example, Pablo Picasso in Harlequin (1915) and Paul Cézanne in Harlequin (1890). Gris was very fond of the Harlequin, portraying the subject in approximately forty works created between 1917 and 1925: Harlequin with a Guitar (1917) and Harlequin at a Table (1919) are notable examples. In a way, Harlequin serves as an extension of these paintings, translating cubist concepts from two dimensional to three-dimensional medium. The Cubist approach aimed to liberate sculpture from the limitation of a naturalistic perspective. In Harlequin, Gris created geometric forms to capture the figure simultaneously from multiple perspectives. The high quality of Harlequin was not enough to deepen Gris’s interest in sculpture, who remained most devoted to painting, and was hesitant to pursue projects that interfered with his painting. Furthermore, for Gris, the process of sculpting was a struggle, which is probably why he generally avoided working in the medium.

For many years it was believed that Harlequin was the only sculpture made by Gris. However, recently another sculpture by Gris resurfaced, the bronze sculpture Harlequin (c.1917-1918), which was executed around the same time as the plaster Harlequin. The bronze and plaster sculptures closely relate to each other, as is most evident in the similarity of the composition. Today, the plaster sculpture Harlequin belongs to the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.