THE ART OF JOHN LENNON IN HOUSTON

The Art of John Lennon The Extraordinary Exhibition in its Houston Presentation An Unparalled Exhibition of the works of John Lennon comes to Houston’s venerable Off The Wall

Houston, Texas: January 2015: Off The Wall Gallery www.offthewallgallery.com is honored to present an exhibition of the extraordinary artworks of John Lennon. All artwork is on exhibition and available for acquisition March 26th, 2015 through March 29TH of 2015. All events are complimentary and open to the public. Gallery Exhibition Hours are 10 am – 9 pm daily and Noon – 6pm on Sundays. The Exhibition opens on March 26th and continues through March 29th, 2015. Scheduled events will feature programming led by Collection Curator, Lynne Clifford, a noted authority on the works of John Lennon. 

On Saturday, March 26th from Noon until 8pm and Sunday, March 29th, 2015 from Noon until 5pm, Ms. Clifford will be in the gallery and available to the public; speaking on the exhibited works and providing insight into the history and stories behind the artwork. In his art, John Lennon, the legendary musician, songwriter, poet, philosopher and artist, delivered a consistent message – peace and love. Art was actually his first love, as he began drawing long before he owned a guitar. John Lennon’s artwork celebrates human love and communication – two themes at the heart of his contribution to the art of the twentieth century. His iconic Self-Portrait image has become the cornerstone of the collection. Offered through the Bag One Arts program, these posthumous, limited edition prints are adapted from Lennon’s original drawings. The art has been selected from rare archival sketches and is representative of his whimsical and thought provoking imagery. Each print is reproduced utilizing the sophisticated and detailed standards typical for archival fine art printing processes, guided, approved and hand-signed by Yoko Ono.

 

John Lennon In many ways, John Lennon was truly a renaissance man whose insights and perspective helped shape the sensibility of the contemporary mind. Born John Winston Lennon on October 9 1940 in Liverpool, England, he died tragically on December 8 1980. 

He married Yoko Ono at Gibraltar on March 20 1969. On March 29 1969 John and Yoko commenced their famous bed-in for peace at the Amsterdam Hilton. While music will be remembered as his most popular art form, he loved both literature and his visual art, studying at Liverpool Art Institute from 1957-1960.

He penned and illustrated three books: In His Own White, A Spaniard in the Works, and Skywriting by Word of Mouth. As early as 1969, John 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 1969, 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 decided to share John's artistic genius with the public by publishing the first in a series of prints entitled 'This is my Story Both Humble and True' followed with 'Bag One Continued...', 'Dakota Days', 'Karuizawa Series' and 'Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes'. These works are a commentary on John's everyday life, his wife, Yoko and their son, Sean. The drawings are whimsical yet poetic, loving portraits of their years together. Drawn by one of the most important cultural figures of our time, these illustrations celebrate human love and communication- two themes at the heart of John Lennon's contribution to the art of the twentieth century. 

Born and raised in Liverpool, England, as a teenager John Lennon became involved in music, forming his first band, the Quarrymen, which by 1960 had evolved into The Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. Lennon was a visual artist before he picked up his first guitar or wrote his first song. He attended the prestigious Liverpool Art Institute (1957-1960). 

He continued to draw throughout his life. Lennon’s primary medium was line drawing, either in pen, pencil, or Japanese sumi ink. He not only penned, but also sketched the drawings which became illustrations for three bestselling books: In His Own Write (1964), A Spaniard in the Works (1965) and Skywriting By Word of Mouth (1987). In the years that followed, Lennon expressed himself once again through drawing, this time reflecting his love for his family. Since 1989 Bag One Arts has published a series of limited edition prints of his work, which have traveled throughout the world. In addition, a complete suite of the Bag One portfolio of lithographs resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. www.moma.org . Please check MOMA’s schedule for opportunities to view the collection. The graphic collection has traveled throughout the U.S., England, Spain, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila.

WHERE: Off the Wall Gallery Galleria Houston (Adjacent to Neiman Marcus – Entrance through valet) 5015 Westheimer, Suite #2208 Houston, TX 77056 

WHEN: Thursday, March 26th, 2015 from Noon – 8:00 pm Friday, March 27th, 2015 from Noon – 8:00 pm Saturday, March 28th, 2015 from Noon – 8:00 pm Sunday, March 29th, 2015 from Noon – 5:00 pm All events are complimentary and open to the public. Additional Information: 713.871.0940 

Admission is Complimentary Patrons wishing to see the collection in-person are invited to the gallery throughout the exhibition period. A donation of $5 per person is suggested, which will be going to the Houston Food Bank. The Houston Food Bank is the largest source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties. Through a network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other agencies, 800,000 people are fed each year. All artwork is on exhibition and available for acquisition March 26th, 2015 through March 29TH of 2015, Gallery Exhibition Hours are 10 am – 9 pm daily and Noon – 6pm on Sundays. The Exhibition opens on March 26th and continues through March 29th, 2015.