“High Art / A Grande Arte” (殺しのアーティスト), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1992 (film 1991), Walter Salles / Peter Coyote, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) N128

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese cinema release of Walter Salles’ High Art (A Grande Arte / 殺しのアーティスト), starring Peter Coyote, Tchéky Karyo and Amanda Pays. The film was produced in 1991 as a Brazilian-American co-production and first opened theatrically in Japan on 21 November 1992, presented by Shochiku-Fuji and Amuse and distributed by Shochiku-Fuji.

Based on the novel A Grande Arte by acclaimed Brazilian writer Rubem Fonseca, the film follows American photographer Peter Mandrake, whose life in Rio de Janeiro is violently transformed after a woman he has photographed is murdered. Drawn into an underworld of drug trafficking, arms smuggling and knife culture, Mandrake seeks out the mysterious knife master Hermes, played by Tchéky Karyo, and begins crossing the line between observer and participant. The film was directed by Walter Salles, with photography by José Roberto Eliezer and music by Jürgen Knieper and Todd Boekelheide.

Poster design
A superb and unusually atmospheric Japanese thriller design dominated by a layered, dreamlike montage in deep blue, violet and burnt orange. Peter Coyote appears in the lower foreground clutching a knife, while a ghostly female figure occupies the centre beside a monumental blade. Above them, an enormous hand looms from the darkness, creating an ominous sense of violence and psychological unease.

The huge vertical Japanese title 殺しのアーティスト runs down the left side in muted green, accompanied by the striking tagline 「神秘の刃に戦慄のデカダンス。」 — approximately, “A decadent shudder before a mysterious blade.”

The upper-right copy explicitly describes the film’s world: “Drugs, arms smuggling, murder, knives, love and friendship — intelligent action unfolding across Rio and Bolivia.” The poster’s combination of surreal imagery, knife symbolism and rich nocturnal colour makes it a particularly striking early example of Japanese marketing for the work of Walter Salles, who would later direct internationally celebrated films including Central Station and The Motorcycle Diaries.

It is over 33 years old!

Condition
Excellent. The poster retains superb colour saturation, with the deep blues, purples and warm flesh tones remaining exceptionally strong. There are only very minor signs of age and handling, with no significant condition issues affecting the central artwork or typography. Please review the photo—it shows the exact poster for sale.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.