“The Beatles” — Tadanori Yokoo (横尾忠則), Original Japanese Advertising Poster 1983 (Asahi Mutual Life “Love Campaign”), B2 Size (51 × 73 cm), O479

This is an original Japanese B2 poster designed by Tadanori Yokoo and issued domestically for Asahi Mutual Life Insurance’s “Love (愛) Campaign.” The National Museum of Art, Osaka catalogs this exact design as THE BEATLES (Asahi Mutual Life Insurance), offset print on paper, 72.8 × 51.5 cm, dated 1983—a museum‑verified reference point for the piece and format. The campaign repurposes Yokoo’s early‑’70s Beatles portrait, making this the definitive Japanese advertising edition of the image.

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Design

An audacious pop tableau against a blazing solid yellow field: the four Beatles—John, Paul, George, Ringo—stand on a low stone plinth, their figures rendered in Yokoo’s crisp photoreal collage style. Tiny drifting maple leaves and a flowering bough punctuate the negative space. The lower margin carries an oval “ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE” device beside the 朝日生命 (Asahi Mutual Life) logotype, while the artist credit “TADANORI YOKOO” appears at upper left. Yokoo based the group likeness on a well‑known photograph made at John Lennon’s home; the advertising reissue introduced the iconic yellow background seen here. 

Format note: Japanese B2 posters measure roughly 51 × 73 cm (this sheet matches museum dimensions 51.5 × 72.8 cm), printed by offset on medium stock for nationwide display. 

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Artist / context

One of Japan’s most celebrated image‑makers, Tadanori Yokoo (b.1936) bridged avant‑garde theater graphics, commercial art, and fine art. His work entered major museum collections worldwide; crucially, MoMA mounted the solo exhibition “Graphics by Tadanori Yokoo” in 1972, cementing his international reputation (he later pivoted toward painting in the 1980s). The Beatles / Asahi design sits within Yokoo’s broader engagement with pop music imagery of the late ’60s–’70s and is today held in Japanese museum collections, underscoring its cultural importance. 

Provenance & dating note: Japanese institutional records list the Asahi Mutual Life version as 1983—our cataloging follows the museum entry. 

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Condition

Very Good overall with honest signs of age and theater/retail display: light waves/handling, minor edge touches, and small pinholes (see photos). Colors remain vivid and the yellow ground is bright. We have taken the observed wear into account in our pricing. Please review the images—they show the exact poster for sale.

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This poster is an original Japanese B2 advertising issue from the Asahi Mutual Life “Love Campaign” (c. 1983), designed by Tadanori Yokoo.
It is not a reproduction or reprint.
It is over 40 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.