August 20 - September 7, 2024
From Off The Wall Gallery:
“Off The Wall Gallery, Houston’s premier fine art gallery, presents “Give Peace a Chance – The Art of John Lennon”. This newly curated Exhibition is a must-see…and will present in a limited engagement from August 20th – September 7th , 2024. RSVPs are requested at 832.804.6923 or [email protected]. Admission to this extraordinary presentation is complimentary and open to the public. All artwork is on exhibition and available for purchase. These graphic works, by one of the most important cultural figures of our time, celebrate human love and communication – two themes at the heart of John Lennon’s contribution to the art of the twentieth century. Over the course of John Lennon’s career, his work as an artist expressed the societal themes that touched his life. Never in history has an Exhibition been so relevant, and so powerful. Check out the event page: Event Page & Information. Atelier Off The Wall is located at The Galleria, 5015 Westheimer Road, Level One Suite K102B, Across from Dior and Louis Vuitton.
Noteworthy: A complete suite of the “Bag One” portfolio of lithographs is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
“Give Peace a Chance: The Art of John Lennon” showcases the captivating history of Lennon’s visionary art, from his early childhood to his untimely death in 1980. The message of “Give Peace a Chance” continues to resonate with audiences across generations. In an increasingly connected and tumultuous world, the song serves as a reminder of the enduring importance of peace and unity. Its lyrics evoke a sense of hope and inspire individuals to work towards a more harmonious coexistence, making it as relevant today as it was when it was first recorded.
Lennon’s artwork predated his success with the Beatles and remained a passion throughout his years as a music legend. During his lifetime, he produced numerous series of sketches and lithographs, which were published starting in the early 1960s. Often surreal and composed through a method of free association, his drawings from this period were widely considered some of the finest interpretive artworks of the era.
In 1969, Lennon began exhibiting selected drawings from a series entitled Bag One. This array, now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, was wildly popular and frequently censored due to its overt eroticism. His peace-themed sketches were elevated through their use in antiwar movements, beginning in the 1970s and continuing to the present day. Capturing his emotional, political, and imaginative energy, this lavishly produced collection serves as a timeless record of John Lennon’s creative spirit.
Born John Winston Lennon on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, he died tragically on December 8, I980. He married Yoko Ono at Gibraltar on March 20, I969. On March 26, 1969, John and Yoko commenced their famous bed-in for world peace at the Amsterdam Hilton.
While music will be remembered as his most popular art form, he loved both his literature and his art, studying at Liverpool Art Institute from I957 – I960. He penned and illustrated three books: “In His Own Write”, “A Spaniard In The Works” and “Skywriting By Word Of Mouth”. As early as I968 Lennon began moving toward a return to visual art. He was primarily interested in drawing and favored the creative loose sketch working in pen and ink. In I969, as a wedding gift for Yoko, John drew the “Bag One” Portfolio, a chronicle of their wedding ceremony, honeymoon and their plea for world peace, the Bed-In. The suite also contained erotic sketches.
The Bag One series was first published and exhibited in January 1970 at the London Art Gallery. On the second day the exhibition was closed by Scotland Yard and the erotic lithographs confiscated. During 1986 Yoko Ono, Lennon decided to share John’s artistic genius with the public by publishing the first in a series of prints entitled “This Is My Stary Bath Humble and True”, followed in 1988 with “Bag One Continued ” and the “Dakota Days”. These works are a commentary on John’s everyday life with Yoko and Sean. The drawings are whimsical yet poetic, loving portraits of their years together.
These graphic works, by one of the most important cultural figures of our time, celebrate human love and communication – two themes at the heart of John Lennon’s contribution to the art of the twentieth century.
WHEN DID JOHN LENNON START CREATING ARTWORK
John attended the Liverpool Art Institute for three years (1957-60). During that time, he developed a style of sketching and drawing figures containing his somewhat sarcastic sense of humor. In later years he would incorporate this whimsical style into art for his books and work done for various social movements. John memorialized the infamous Bed in for peace by creating sketches of the scene; many of these drawings are now part of the Bag One collection of John’s art.”
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Houston, 77056 TX
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