Rosalía and Timothée Chalamet have something in common, apart from their close relationship with Kylie Jenner and their command of French: this week they have had a good time with their respective statements in the media. Rosalía, during a talk with the writer Mariana Enríquez, has defended separating the work of an artist, and she has not thought of a better example than Pablo Picasso, stating that only those who had known him in person or lived with him would have the power to judge his actions. And Chalamet, well, his thing has been a little more fun: the actor has said in an interview that opera and ballet are of no interest to anyone, angering opera, ballet, Doja Cat and many of his followers.
The indignation at the words of Rosalía and Chalamet already implies a separation between work and artist: we admire the work, but we discover that the person can express questionable ideas in interviews, and even contradict the precepts of their own artistic work.
This is clearly the case of Rosalía, whose words seem to cast doubt on women’s testimonies against Picasso proven over decades, to justify her artistic consumption. Here the separation between work and artist seems especially dangerous to me: we can put aside, forget for a while, if we want, certain information in order to put our enjoyment of a work first, although that information will still be there, but questioning that information is trickier. The accusations against Picasso are widely documented: saying that he was a “pearl of great care” is an understatement.
Rosalía talks about separating the artist from his work:
“I really like Picasso and it has never bothered me to differentiate the artist from the work. Because perhaps I would have known that man and perhaps I would not have liked him so much because of the things that have been explained to me. But then I say who… pic.twitter.com/7nFHotRoe3
— dance (@baila_fm) March 6, 2026
Chalamet’s issue is similar, since many have discovered with his words that behind that affable boy they see in the movies is a person who can screw up in interviews. Here, by publicly despising two artistic disciplines that he neither understands nor is interested in, just for being supposedly less lucrative than cinema. Doja points it out right out of the shower:
Doja Cat comments on Timothée Chalamet for speaking about opera and ballet:
“You show up in a nice outfit, you sit the fuck down, and shut the fuck up. That’s the usual etiquette around those things. Maybe I learn something from that.” pic.twitter.com/Fhc62IbQsz
— Doja Access (@DojaAccess) March 8, 2026
The eternal debate about separating work and artist usually occupies us for a while, until we forget about it again. It has always seemed like a strange dilemma to me, perhaps false or, at the very least, confusing. The artists themselves often repeat that when they release a song, an album or a movie, the work stops belonging to them and becomes the public’s. The artist pushes it into the world so that it circulates and lives autonomously. In that sense, the work is already born separately, without anyone questioning it.
Perhaps what we are talking about, in reality, is separating artist from person, but then we realize that this separation is impossible, because both facets are intrinsically connected, they are the side of the same coin.
I have recently recovered the album ‘Dangerous’ (1991) by Michael Jackson and, in the words of Rosalía, “I enjoyed it”, I have appreciated its artistic proposal and its musical innovations, but I have been aware at all times of the context that surrounds the singer. How can you listen to ‘In the Closet’ and not fall into second readings? This context has influenced my consumption of the album, it has settled there like a shadow, and the same with Picasso: it is possible to appreciate Gernika, because the work exists by itself, but dissociating the author from the person is impossible, as well as a useless task. So, we have to deal with the uncomfortable reality that horrible people create masterpieces, just as good people create them.
@filonews The Teatro Colón responded to Timothée Chalamet’s comments against ballet and opera 👉 The actor went viral during a CNN and Variety event with Matthew McConaughey. 💬 “I don’t want to work in ballet or opera, where it’s like, ‘hey, let’s keep this alive even though no one cares anymore,'” she said. 📣 In this context, the Teatro Colón shared a video of its artistic proposals: “We care, we care.” #TeatroColón #TimotheeChalamet #Ballet #Opera #FiloNews ♬ original sound – Filo.news
It is in vain to separate Picasso from the person, just as it is in vain to dissociate Michael Jackson from the accusations of pedophilia, JK Rowling from her transphobia or Nicki Minaj from her far-right drift. Each and every one of us consumes art from despicable people by choice, coming into conflict with our own morality, and each and every one of us decides to do so guided by our own moral compass, placing the limit where we consider appropriate at the moment. I give another personal example: I deeply hate Róisín Murphy’s TERF drift, but my connection with her music is deep and, for the moment, when I feel like it, which is less than other times, I continue listening to it. I have not blocked her from platforms nor have I burned her albums. I reserve the right to do so, yes.
In reality, Rosalía and Chalamet’s words highlight those same contradictions that we all try to fit together like an impossible puzzle when we decide to consume the culture of human beings whom we do not appreciate. The opposite of that is to impose censorship on our own consumption, but that decision, although laudable, is still personal and subjective. The pity is that Rosalía seems to engage in a somewhat reactionary speech, I don’t know if it is very thoughtful, which seems to try to provoke just for the sake of it, when the debate in the center is different. Anyone can enjoy Picasso’s work without failing to take into account certain things that complicate his figure. In fact, it should always be that way.
And as for Timothée Chalamet, the actor has simply relaxed too much in an interview and regrets his words in the zero second. But perhaps the controversy has served to make his fans take off their glasses of admiration and begin to understand that Chalamet does not have to look like the characters he plays in the movies.
