John did his drawings with inspiration and speed, very much like how he created his songs. It was obvious that there was a strong, innate need for John to keep creating these works. Most of the time the drawings reflected his mood. Though once, when John was in a dark mood, I looked over his shoulder and found him drawing a very funny picture. Another time, John was in a happy mood, drawing a picture with black humour. Only John would do that, I thought. It was as though John was using the act of drawing to balance and unite his two minds – one, the dark and pessimistic, and the other, the joyful and optimistic. Along with his guitar, pen and paper seemed to have served as ideal tools to express John’s complex emotions.
Now, there is no difficulty in getting galleries to exhibit John’s artwork. In fact, some of his works have become part of the collections of major museums. I wonder what John would have thought of all that. He would have accepted it with his usual wry humour, maybe.
These luxury limited edition prints, published by Bag One Arts, Inc. are posthumous editions reproduced after John Lennon’s death, created from original drawings by John Lennon, incorporating assorted techniques such as Copper Etching with Aqua Tint, Lithography, Serigraphy, Copper Etching and Stone Lithography with Chine Colle, Serigraphy with Embossing, and Woodcut/Collography/Serigraphy.
The color editions are a collaborative effort with Yoko Ono Lennon adding the color.
The hand·pulled editions are signed by Yoko Ono Lennon in the lower left hand corner and carry John Lennon’s embossed signature and red chop mark.
The majority of the editions are in multiples of 300, with 25 Artist Proofs.
Papers used are: Arches Aquarelle, BFK Rives, Canson Brite White, Crème Arches, Kizuki Kozo, Kogei Kozo, Maidstone, Mino Rice adhered to Stonehenge, Ripple Watercolor, Somerset White, Stonehenge, Ungei White, Uwa Senka and Shikishi Board.
The plates are all destroyed after the print edition has been completed.
Bag One Arts is the exclusive publisher of John Lennon artwork and is owned by Yoko Ono Lennon. Each print has been personally selected and authorized by her.
Each sale of a print is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Art was actually Lennon’s first love. He began drawing long before he had a guitar. He attended the prestigious Liverpool Art Institute for three years (1957-1960) before The Beatles became a full-time occupation.
He continued to draw throughout his life. John’s primary medium was line drawing either in pen, pencil, or Japanese sumi ink.
His drawings became illustrations for three best selling books: In His Own Write (1964), A Spaniard in the Works (1965) and Skywriting By Word of Mouth (1987).
In addition, a complete suite of the ‘Bag One’ portfolio of lithographs was donated to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where it remains in the permanent collection.
The graphic collection of John Lennon Artwork has traveled throughout the U.S., England, Spain, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong and Manila.
John Lennon, a loving husband, father, and renaissance man.
Find out more at johnlennon.com
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 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 from Insight Editions serves as a timeless record of John Lennon’s creative spirit.