The Mystery of Picasso (French: Le mystère Picasso) is a 1956 French documentary film about the painter Pablo Picassot. It shows Picasso in the act of creating paintings for the camera. Most of the paintings were subsequently destroyed so that they would only exist on film.
Like a matador confronting a bull, the artist approaches his easel. As he wields his brush, the painting dances into being before our eyes. Pablo Picasso, the most influential artist of the 20th century, is making art, and famous French director Henri-Georges Clouzot (Diabolique, The Wages of Fear) is making a movie.
This entirely new kind of art documentary captures the moment and the mystery of creativity; for the film, the master created 20 artworks, ranging from playful black-and-white sketches to widescreen color paintings. Using inks that bled through the paper, Picasso rapidly created fanciful drawings that Clouzot was able to film from the reverse side, capturing their creation in real time. When the artist decided to paint in oils, the filmmaker switched to color film and employed the magic of stop-motion animation.
By contract, almost all of these paintings were destroyed when the film was completed. Unavailable for more than a decade, “The Mystery of Picasso” is exhilarating, mesmerizing, and unforgettable; it is simply one of the greatest documentaries on art ever made. The French government agrees; in 1984 it declared the film a national treasure.
- Won Jury Special Prize, Cannes Film Festival (1956)
- Nominated for Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival (1956)
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The Mystery of Picasso Reviews
“This marvelous film, made in 1956 by Henri-Georges Clouzot … simply sits back in awe as the grand old man, shirtless and confident, does what he does best.” Washington Post
“The Mystery of Picasso is one of the most unique documentaries ever produced, and because it eschews exposition in favor of direct presentation of the artistic method—not just the trickery of painting but of cinema as well—it is easily accessible by an audience that may know little of art history or the iconography of modern art. Cubism may seem obscure when presented in a textbook, but just watching Picasso layer in perspective after perspective answers more questions in a few minutes than a professor likely can in an entire class. Nevertheless, Picasso's work, not to mention his psyche, maintains a degree of mystery, allowing us to read into the paintings what we will. The result is a documentary that allows viewers to learn something new with each viewing—something few documentaries can claim.” DVD Verdict
“A mesmerizing document of the artistic process, made possible by filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot's friendship with painter Pablo Picasso.” TV Guide
“The gold standard of nonfiction films about the creative process.” Orlando Sentinel
“Even if Henri-Georges Clouzot's experimental 1956 documentary The Mystery Of Picasso offered nothing more valuable than footage of the painter at work, it would still be indispensable…The Mystery Of Picasso frames its subject well, raising subtle questions about the nature of Pablo Picasso's gift and the value of art, even though the movie really is nothing more than footage of the master at work. Clouzot has Picasso sketch and paint on a see-through canvas that enables the camera to shoot the artwork-in-progress without obstruction. The Mystery Of Picasso follows each (mostly) quick sketch from start to finish, with the occasional jump cut to disguise a period of rumination, or to heighten the excitement. When the work is done, Clouzot wipes to a blank screen and Picasso starts anew…” AV Club.com