Hide-and-Seek (painting)

Hide-and-Seek is a 1942 oil on canvas painting by Russian painter Pavel Tchelitchew. It is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.^[1][2]

The painting measures 6' 6 1/2" x 7' 3/4" (199.3 x 215.3 cm) and was painted between June 1940 and June 1942. It was acquired shortly after its completion by MoMA. Tchelitchew was given a retrospective of his work at MoMA in 1942.^[1][2]

Hide-and-Seek was completed by Tchelitchew in 1942, but he had been working on variations on its imagery since about 1934.^[1]

A phenomenon seen in Hide-and-Seek is that of the "simultaneous image", in which a degree of ambiguity exists between various components of the composition. This is not unique to Hide-and-Seek. Related phenomena are seen in the work of other artists, for instance Giuseppe Arcimboldo.^[1]