IMAGINE , John Lennon would be seventy years old tomorrow. Just imagine. Not many single words can be attributed to a single person as this word and the timeless song of idealistic hope and peace released in 1971 by the cerebral one of the original fab four. Yes, as a Beatle, he was destined to mark his place in history with enormous success. But the evolution of his many talents kept materializing as he opened his creativity to more than just the good music.
Apparently Lennon loved art even before he owned a guitar. He had a great sense of art and design. From 1957-1960, before he was a Beatle, he studied at the Liverpool Art Institute. And although his music became a full-time occupation, his passion for drawing continued throughout his life. He also wrote 3 books in the 60s’s for which his own drawings were used as their illustrations. Ten years later, in 1970, he actually went “public” with his art in a series of personally signed limited edition lithographs which were sold in galleries.
Well recognized for his drawings, a complete collection of his lithographs from the “Bag One” portfolio is in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. This series depict John and Yoko’s wedding and honeymoon which he gave to his bride as a wedding gift. Some images contained erotic contents that were considered to be obscene by some. Due to court cases and mishandling during this controversy, Lennon was discouraged from further public exhibits for many years.
Yoko’s Japanese influence paired with his world travels resulted in his creating a “chop” with which to personally mark his drawings. This patented hand-stamped design was created by Lennon to read “Like a Cloud, Beautiful Sound.”
If you’re wondering about post-mortem editions, these later editions of his drawings have been authenticated with embossed signatures, printers and publisher’s mark, Yoko Ono’s signature and Lennon’s personal chop.
Yoko keeps a pulse on the continuation of her late husband’s legacy and has since added color to Lennon’s drawings where she thought that doing so would enhance their appeal.
His work is still collected by museums worldwide. To buy a piece of Lennon’s art, go to http://www.lennonart.com/ to learn more.
John Lennon Art
