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DOUBLE FANTASY – JOHN & YOKO
18 May 2018 to 22 April 2019
Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool L3 1DG

In a world first, the Museum of Liverpool will host this ground-breaking exhibition telling John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s story in their own words. The exhibition explores the personal and creative chemistry of this iconic couple and their ongoing Imagine Peace campaign.

Double Fantasy – John & Yoko is a free exhibition, celebrating the meeting of two of the world’s most creative artists who expressed their deep and powerful love for one another through their art, music and film. They used their fame and influence to campaign for peace and human rights across the world, transforming not only their own lives, but art, music and activism forever.
Featuring personal objects alongside art, music and film produced by both John and Yoko, the exhibition is drawn from Yoko’s own private collection, some of which has never been displayed.
“I am so happy and grateful that we are having our Double Fantasy – John & Yoko show in Liverpool. This is where John was born and I know John would be very happy too. We were a very simple couple just loving each other every day and I just wanted to show the simple truth of us. In our personal life we were pretty simple people, and we made all sorts of things with love for each other. Everything was made out of love. We found that we were both very strongly interested in world peace. I feel John and I are still working together. I always feel his warmth next to me.” Yoko Ono Lennon

Taking a chronological journey, the exhibition starts with two unique individuals – a leading figure in the avant-garde art world and a global rock ‘n’ roll star. From a tender first meeting at Indica Gallery in London, it was 18 months later that the album ‘Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins’ was issued. What followed was breathtaking in its rapidity and productivity until John’s tragic and untimely death on 8 December 1980.
Through interviews, quotes and lyrics, the story of their personal and creative relationship along with their political activism and peace campaigning, will be told in their own words for the very first time.

From the intimate to the iconic, the exhibition brings together unmissable objects and artworks, including:
• Hand-written lyrics by John Lennon, including ‘In My Life’, ‘Give Peace a Chance’, ‘Happy Christmas War is Over’ and ‘Woman’.
• ‘Grapefruit’ – Yoko’s artist book, which she gave to John as a gift in 1966. Published in 1964, the book represents a seminal piece of conceptual art and was a direct influence on the lyrics and ideas behind ‘Imagine’.
• Original artwork by both, including Yoko’s ‘Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting’, ‘Painting to Hammer a Nail’ and ‘Apple’ as well as ‘The Daily Howl’, a hand-made book by John from his childhood and numerous examples of his distinctive line drawings. The exhibition also features conceptual work the couple produced together, such as ‘War is Over’, Plastic Ono Band’ and elements of their first collaboration ‘Acorn Peace’.
• Many personal items, such as John’s wire-rimmed glasses, Yoko’s large Porsche sunglasses, iconic items of clothing, such as John’s New York City t-shirt, and items from their wedding outfits.
• An extremely rare Sardonyx guitar used by John on the album ‘Double Fantasy’, and the acoustic Gibson guitar, illustrated on by John, from their 1969 bed-in.
• John’s hard-won Green Card.
• Items from the the couple’s famous 1969 Bed-Ins in Amsterdam and Montreal.
• A rolling programme of the films that John and Yoko created, and music videos made under Yoko’s supervision. A music room, overlooking the Mersey with the couple’s albums played for visitors will feature album cover art.
• A recreation of the ‘Imagine’ mosaic circle in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York. An intimate and contemplative space, it will also reflect on the global impact of John’s death.

Double Fantasy – John & Yoko is a major part of Liverpool’s celebration of its 10th anniversary as European Capital of Culture.
This exhibition has been made possible with the kind permission of Yoko Ono Lennon.

Image: Photo by Keith McMillan © Yoko Ono

John and Yoko Ono, join James Hanratty Sr. to protest the controversial execution of Hanratty’s son, in 1969.

On Dec. 11, 1969, Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrived at the Odeon theater in Kensington to attend the premiere of Ringo Starr’s movie, “The Magic Christian.”
They stepped out of their Rolls-Royce and unfurled a banner that read, “BRITAIN MURDERED HANRATTY.”
The banner referred to James Hanratty who had been tried, convicted, and executed for murder seven years earlier. John and Yoko were just two of thousands of people who believed he did not commit the crime.
Lennon became interested in the case after a chance meeting with Hanratty’s parents, who convinced him that their son had been railroaded. John and Yoko took on the challenge of clearing his name.
Lennon has been dead for nearly 38 years and many of his causes have been forgotten. But controversy still swirls over the Hanratty case, and the question of whether Britain hanged an innocent man. The murder that landed Hanratty, 25, on the gallows happened on Aug. 22, 1961.

*A frail-looking Yoko Ono visited Liverpool to open a exhibition dedicated to her relationship with John Lennon
*While in the city, she visited Mendips and 9 Newcastle Road, the homes where the Beatles legend grew up
*It is believed to be the first time she has visited the Newcastle Road home, having reportedly bought it in 2013
*She also  posted of a photo of herself in Lennon’s old bedroom online, writing: ‘I love you John. Yoko’

A frail-looking Yoko Ono was spotted visiting two of John Lennon’s childhood homes on Friday after traveling from her New York home to Liverpool.She was in the city to open a museum show dedicated to their relationship, filled with exhibits from her own private collection.
While in Liverpool she visited Mendips, the home where Lennon spent most of his childhood, and took a photo of herself in his bedroom.

Uploading the photo to Instagram, she wrote: ‘This is John’s room in Menlove Avenue. I feel John here with me…I love you John. Yoko.’
She previously owned the property, having bought it at auction in 2002 before donating it to the National Trust, which now preserves it. Yoko was also seen leaving John’s earliest home, at 9 Newcastle Road, which she bought at auction in 2013 for more than three times the asking price. The same decorating team that renovated the Mendips home were spotted at the Newcastle Road property after it was purchased. John lived at Newcastle Road from his birth until age five, when the breakdown of his parents’ marriage saw him move to Mendips to live with his Aunt Mimi.
Newcastle Road is just a few yards from Penny Lane, which inspired one of The Beatles most famous songs, while Mendips is where the band had some of their earliest rehearsals.

The exhibition to Yoko and Lennon, entitled Double Fantasy – John and Yoko, is being displayed at the Museum of Liverpool until April next year.
Included in the items on display are Lennon’s iconic wire-framed glasses, a rare Sardonyx guitar used by Lennon on the album Double Fantasy, and artwork made by the pair.

Yoko Lennon said: ‘I am so happy and grateful that we are having our Double Fantasy -John & Yoko show in Liverpool.
‘This is where John was born and I know John would be very happy too.
‘We were a very simple couple just loving each other every day and I just wanted to show the simple truth of us.
‘In our personal life we were pretty simple people, and we made all sorts of things with love for each other. Everything was made out of love.
‘We found that we were both very strongly interested in world peace. I feel John and I are still working together. I always feel his warmth next to me.’

Yoko visited Liverpool museum in order to open the exhibition, which is filled with items from their life.

source:dailymail

The exhibition, opening on May 18, explores the personal and creative chemistry of this iconic couple and their ongoing Imagine Peace campaign.

It celebrates the meeting of two of the world’s most creative artists who expressed their deep and powerful love for one another through their art, music and film ..
They were two dreamers who used their fame and influence to campaign for peace and human rights across the world, transforming not only their own lives, but art, music and activism forever.
Featuring personal objects the exhibition is drawn from Yoko’s own private collection, some of which has never been displayed before.

Proud Yoko says: “I am so happy and grateful that we are having our Double Fantasy – John & Yoko show in Liverpool ..
“This is where John was born and I know John would be very happy too.
“We were a very simple couple just loving each other every day and I just wanted to show the simple truth of us.
“In our personal life we were pretty simple people, and we made all sorts of things with love for each other.
“Everything was made out of love.
“We found that we were both very strongly interested in world peace.
“I feel John and I are still working together.
“I always feel his warmth next to me.”

Taking a chronological journey, the exhibition starts with two unique individuals – a leading figure in the avant-garde art world and a global rock ‘n’ roll star.
From a tender first meeting at Indica Gallery in London, it was 18 months later that the album Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins was issued.What followed was breathtaking in its rapidity and productivity until John’s tragic and untimely death on December 8, 1980.

Through interviews, quotes and lyrics, the story of their personal and creative relationship along with their political activism and peace campaigning, will be told in their own words for the very first time. From the intimate to the iconic, the exhibition brings together unmissable objects and artworks, including ten fab reasons to see John and Yoko’s homecoming exhibition:

Hand-written lyrics by John Lennon, including In My Life, Give Peace a Chance, Happy Christmas (War is Over) and Woman.
Grapefruit – Yoko’s artist book, which she gave to John as a gift in 1966. Published in 1964, the book represents a seminal piece of conceptual art and was a direct influence on the lyrics and ideas behind Imagine.
• Original artwork by both, including Yoko’s Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting, Painting to Hammer a Nail and Apple as well as The Daily Howl, a hand-made book by John from his childhood and numerous examples of his distinctive line drawings.
The exhibition also features conceptual work the couple produced together, such as War is Over, Plastic Ono Band and elements of their first collaboration Acorn Peace.
Many personal items, such as John’s wire-rimmed glasses, Yoko’s large Porsche sunglasses, iconic items of clothing, such as John’s New York City t-shirt, and items from their wedding outfits.
An extremely rare Sardonyx guitar used by John on the album ‘Double Fantasy’, and the acoustic Gibson guitar, illustrated on by John, from their 1969 bed-in.
John’s hard-won Green Card.
Items from the the couple’s famous 1969 Bed-Ins in Amsterdam and Montreal.
A rolling programme of the films that John and Yoko created, and music videos made under Yoko’s supervision. A music room, overlooking the Mersey with the couple’s albums played for visitors will feature album cover art.
A recreation of the Imagine mosaic circle in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York. An intimate and contemplative space, it will also reflect on the global impact of John’s death.

From May 2018, the Museum of Liverpool will show a ground-breaking exhibition, exploring the personal and creative chemistry of this iconic couple and their ongoing Imagine Peace campaign.

Double Fantasy – John & Yoko, at Museum of Liverpool from 18 May 2018 to 22 April 2019, is a free exhibition, celebrating the meeting of two of the world’s most creative artists who expressed their deep and powerful love for one another through their art, music and film. They used their fame and influence to campaign for peace and human rights across the world, transforming not only their own lives, but art, music and activism forever.

Featuring personal objects alongside art, music and film produced by John and Yoko, the exhibition is drawn from Yoko’s own private collection, some of which has never been displayed.

Yoko Ono Lennon said:

“I am so happy and grateful that we are having our Double Fantasy -John & Yoko show in Liverpool.“This is where John was born and I know John would be very happy too.“We were a very simple couple just loving each other every day and I just wanted to show the simple truth of us.“In our personal life we were pretty simple people, and we made all sorts of things with love for each other. Everything was made out of love. “We found that we were both very strongly interested in world peace. I feel John and I are still working together. I always feel his warmth next to me.”

Taking a chronological journey, the exhibition starts with two unique individuals – a leading figure in the avant-garde art world and a global rock ‘n’ roll star. From a tender first meeting at Indica Gallery in London, it was 18 months later that the album, Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins was issued. What followed was breathtaking in its rapidity and productivity until John’s tragic and untimely death on 8 Dec 1980.

Through interviews, quotes and lyrics, the story of their personal and creative relationship along with their political activism and peace campaigning, will be told in their own words for the very first time.From the intimate to the iconic, the exhibition brings together unmissable objects and artworks including:

Hand-written lyrics by John Lennon, including In My Life, Give Peace a Chance, Happy Xmas (War is Over) and Woman.
Grapefruit –Yoko’s artist book, which she gave to John as a gift in 1966. Published in 1964, the book represents a seminal piece of conceptual art and was a direct influence on the lyrics and ideas behind Imagine.
Original artwork by both, including Yoko’s Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting, Painting to Hammer A Nail and Apple, as well as The Daily Howl, a hand-made book by John from his childhood and numerous examples of his distinctive line drawings. The exhibition also features conceptual work the couple produced together, such as War is Over, Plastic Ono Band, and elements of their first collaboration Acorn Peace.
Many personal items, such as John’s wire-rimmed glasses, Yoko’s large Porsche sunglasses, iconic items of clothing, such as John’s New York City t-shirt, and items from their wedding outfits.

John outside the Robert Fraser Gallery, where his work is on show at the gallery in an exhibition entitled ‘You Are Here’, London, 1968. Lennon is about to release 365 helium-filled balloons to mark the occasion.

An extremely rare Sardonyx guitar used by John on the album, Double Fantasy, and the acoustic Gibson guitar, illustrated on by John, from their 1969 Bed-Ins.
John’s hard-won Green Card.
Items from the couple’s famous 1969 Bed-Ins in Amsterdam and Montreal.
A rolling programme of the films that John and Yoko created, and music videos made under Yoko’s supervision. A music room, overlooking the Mersey with the couple’s albums played for visitors will feature album cover art.
A recreation of the Imagine mosaic circle in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York. An intimate and contemplative space, it will also reflect on the global impact of John’s death.

Sharon Granville, Director of the Exhibition for National Museums Liverpool said:“We have worked closely with Yoko and her team for several years to tell an intimate story of the couple’s relationship and work, using her and John’s words wherever it was possible.

Setting this against a backdrop of the volatile late 1960s – Vietnam War, civil rights protests and social unrest and revolution across Europe and the USA – reveals just how creatively and bravely the couple harnessed their fame and influence to express their radical ideas, challenge preconceptions of the role of artists in society and promote universal themes of peace, love and equality, which continue to have strong resonance and importance today.”

Liverpool remained with John throughout his life.

Testament to this is Yoko’s own longstanding connection to the city and her decision to have this incredibly personal exhibition celebrating their life and work at the Museum of Liverpool.

Double Fantasy – John & Yoko is a major part of Liverpool’s celebration of its 10th anniversary as European Capital of Culture.

Yoko Ono is weighing in on the Korean summit — and she mentioned John Lennon in her remarks.

Yoko Ono took to Twitter to share her thoughts on Friday’s summit, where leaders of North and South Korea vowed to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons. During the historic meeting, Kim Jong Un also became the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the Korean War ended in 1953.

“Mr. Kim Jong-in (sic) & Mr. Moon Jae-in, I am so happy that you guys did it. I saw my husband, John Lennon, jumping around in space with joy. This I hope is the start of all countries shaking hands,” she wrote.

She continued in a second tweet, “One world one people. I hope this will be a start in what my husband and I believed in. I’m sure it will happen soon. Peace is power!”

source:usatoday