Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1956 film, The Mystery of Picasso (Le Mystère Picasso), sets out some lofty goals for itself. In only 75 minutes, Clouzot seeks to uncover nothing less than the mystery, not merely of Picasso’s process of painting, but of artistic production itself. We’re talking metaphysical meta-projects here, the search for the core truth of capital-A Art. To this end, the film documents the production of 20 original works by Picasso.
