“The Mystery of Picasso” (ピカソの天才の秘密), Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1956, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q134
This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1956 for the first Japanese release of The Mystery of Picasso (Le mystère Picasso), the remarkable French documentary directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and centred on the creative process of Pablo Picasso.
An ultra-rare original survivor, this poster is particularly important for its design, which was created by the acclaimed Japanese designer Hisamitsu Noguchi. Japanese posters for European art-house and documentary cinema from the 1950s are scarce in any condition, and a title of this calibre—combining Picasso, Clouzot, and a standout mid-century Japanese graphic treatment—is especially desirable.
Film background
Released in 1956, The Mystery of Picasso is one of the most unusual and compelling artist films ever made. Clouzot devised a method of filming Picasso at work using specially prepared surfaces, allowing the viewer to watch images emerge, change, and disappear in real time. Rather than simply documenting finished works, the film captures the act of creation itself—showing revisions, spontaneous decisions, and the restless energy of Picasso’s imagination.
The result is both a documentary and a visual experiment: a film about art that is itself deeply cinematic. It remains one of the essential films on a major 20th-century artist and a landmark in documentaries about artistic practice.
Poster design
The Japanese poster design is exceptional. Against a deep black ground, Noguchi combines a close-up image of Picasso’s eyes, reproductions of his works, small documentary stills, and a delicate, highly modern arrangement of lettering and colour. The title treatment is especially striking, with playful linear forms in red, yellow, and blue echoing the spirit of Picasso’s draughtsmanship, while the yellow “Picasso” signature adds a vivid focal accent.
This is not merely a film poster: it is a beautifully resolved piece of postwar Japanese graphic design in its own right. The composition feels sophisticated, intellectual, and unmistakably period, with the kind of refined art-direction that makes 1950s Japanese paper so collectible.
Condition
Good / Very Good. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
The poster displays well overall and remains a highly attractive and very presentable example of an exceptionally scarce title. It shows the expected original fold lines as issued, together with general age-related handling wear, surface creasing, edge wear, and small nicks / short tears around parts of the border. There is also age toning and wear visible on the reverse, entirely consistent with an authentic Japanese poster from 1956. Despite this, the front retains strong visual impact, and once framed it will make a superb display piece.
Authenticity
This is an original 1956 Japanese theatrical poster, not a reproduction or later reprint.
It is over 70 years old!
Certificate of Authenticity included.
