“TADANORI YOKOO – Issey Miyake”, Japanese Contemporary Art / Fashion Poster, Original Offset 1976, Ultra Rare, B1 Size (c.73 × 103 cm)

This is an original Japanese offset poster printed in 1976 for an early collaboration between legendary graphic artist Tadanori Yokoo and fashion designer Issey Miyake. Created as Miyake was establishing his independent studio and international reputation, the design promotes his avant‑garde clothing with a visual language as daring as the garments themselves. This lush jungle‑monkey image is catalogued in The Complete Posters of Tadanori Yokoo (no. 76‑27) and is widely regarded as one of the strongest posters Yokoo created for Miyake in the 1970s. Posters from this campaign were produced in small numbers for fashion and design promotion and are rarely seen today, especially in the large B1 format.

Tadanori Yokoo – Issey Miyake (1976)

Yokoo’s composition plunges the viewer into a fantastical, nocturnal forest. Against a deep black ground, a troop of vividly coloured monkeys climbs, lounges and poses among dense foliage: a central yellow figure stands upright with staff in hand, flanked by electric pink, turquoise, orange and green companions that animate the trees and undergrowth. The leaves and trunks are rendered in rich, layered fluorescent and metallic‑like inks that catch the light and give the surface a subtle, almost embossed texture. At the top and bottom, wide bands of razor‑thin horizontal stripes in purples, reds, oranges and blues frame the scene like a woven textile, with a restrained “ISSEY MIYAKE” wordmark floating in white capitals above the tableau. The tension between the “primitive” jungle and the refined, fabric‑like borders perfectly expresses Miyake’s interest in clothing as both ancient ritual and cutting‑edge design – and, out of strong competition, this poster is often singled out as one of Yokoo’s very best Miyake collaborations of the decade.

Yokoo’s 1970s work with Miyake anticipated the later boom in fashion‑art partnerships, merging poster art, textile sensibility and brand identity into cohesive visual worlds. Designs from this series have appeared in major Yokoo retrospectives at Japanese museums such as the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, and the image is reproduced in official catalogues of Yokoo’s posters. While not every individual Miyake poster appears in Western museum databases, Yokoo’s graphic work is represented in permanent collections including MoMA, the Victoria & Albert Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Miyake’s garments are likewise held in leading design museums worldwide.

One of Japan’s most famous graphic designers, Yokoo is celebrated for fusing traditional Japanese motifs with Pop art, Surrealism and Western graphic design. His posters for theatre troupes, musicians and commercial clients, along with his early inclusion in international exhibitions at institutions such as MoMA and the Victoria & Albert Museum, helped define the visual language of Japanese psychedelia and have influenced poster design worldwide.

Rarity and condition

Tadanori Yokoo x Issey Miyake B1 posters from the mid‑1970s were printed in modest promotional quantities and were typically displayed in boutiques, studios and fashion show venues, meaning many surviving examples suffer from tears, heavy creasing or significant fading. Intact, unbacked B1 originals of this jungle‑monkey design are particularly elusive and are keenly sought after by collectors of Yokoo, Miyake and 1970s Japanese graphic design.

This particular poster is in excellent condition for its age. Colours are exceptionally vivid, with the fluorescent inks still strong and the black background deep. The paper is clean and lies flat. There are some minor signs of age and handling – a few tiny surface marks in the black areas, light edge wear along the lower margin, and slight toning and speckling on the reverse – but no tears, pinholes or writing. Overall it presents beautifully and retains the luxurious, tactile quality of the original 1970s printing. Please refer closely to the photos, as they show the exact poster for sale.

It is about 50 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.