Half a century of excellence
By 1964, she was well established in the underground art scene in New York and had published her legendary book of performance poetry called ‘Grapefruit.’ After performing the piece, she was invited to perform at the Indica Gallery in London, where she would go on to meet John Lennon.
In December 1980, Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon in front of the Dakota building in Manhattan as Lennon and Ono were returning from dinner.
Drawn together by their mutual love of art and music, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began to write and perform together. In 1969, she divorced Cox and married Lennon.
She was targeted by the press and fans during her marriage to John Lennon. She reported having received racist comments and, in public, even had to be shielded from physical harm by John Lennon at times.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono fronted the ‘Give Peace a Chance’ movement, in protest of the Vietnam War, with their week-long ‘bed-in’ at a Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam. They attempted to continue their protest in America, but were denied entry to the country.
Following in the footsteps of his mother and father, Sean Lennon grew up to be a successful musician and artist in his own right.
Ono became involved in the Beatles through Lennon, in ways that made the band’s other members uncomfortable. Lennon didn’t just bring Ono into the Beatles as a guest–he brought her in as a full-fledged collaborator.
In 2018, Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, and Jeff Bridges recreated the famous 'bed-in' protest. The event was part of the fifth annual Come Together: NYC event to support New York City schools.
Years after the death of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, as well as Ringo Starr and George Harrison, accepted the truth that the band splitting up was not Yoko Ono's fault. Starr, McCartney, and Ono enjoy friendly relations today.
Ono and Lennon continued to collaborate on music, and she was eventually introduced to the Beatles.
At the age of 42, Ono gave birth to their son, Sean Lennon.
In 2016, she installed 'Sky Landing' on Jackson Park’s Wooded Island. This gift to Chicago is her first permanent public artwork in America. The piece is composed of a dozen 12-foot tall (about 3.6 m) lotus flower petals, symbolizing peace.
After John Lennon’s murder, Yoko Ono confined herself in her home for a long time. She still lives in the Dakota building to this day.
Against her parents' wishes, Ono left college, married Toshi Ichiyanagi, and moved to Manhattan, where she began to pursue her life as an artist.
Ono and her family narrowly escaped the Tokyo bombings during World War II by fleeing to the countryside.
Yoko Ono was born in 1933 in Tokyo. Her family moved to San Francisco when she was just two weeks old because her father was transferred by his employer.
In the mid-60s, Ono divorced her first husband and wed an American jazz musician and film producer named Tony Cox. The couple had their first child, a daughter named Kyoko, soon after.
She's still performing music with her Plastic Ono Band, sometimes even with her son, Sean Lennon. She released an album of brand new material in 2013 called 'Take Me to the Land of Hell,' and an album of reimagined versions of her past work in 2018, at the age of 85.
Yoko Ono received an honorary degree in 2014 from the esteemed Pratt Institute, located in Brooklyn, New York, for her multimedia art.
Today, Yoko Ono is still active in the worlds of art, music, and activism.
Her relationship with Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son from his first marriage, has been testing at times. When Julian Lennon was left out of John Lennon's will, they battled for years in court over the estate.
Artists Against Fracking is an association of artists initiated by Yoko Ono and her son, Sean Lennon, in 2012. Mark Ruffalo, Robert De Niro, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, and Deepak Chopra are among some of the celebrities who joined the cause.
During an interview with David Frost, Paul McCartney claimed that Yoko Ono didn't break up the band. He said, 'I don't think you can blame her for anything,' because John Lennon was 'definitely going to leave.'
On the 39th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, Yoko took to Twitter, stating that "the death of a loved one is a hollowing experience." This heartfelt message, all this time later, makes it clear that her love for John Lennon lives on and that he is never too far from her thoughts.
Sources: (Rolling Stone) (The Collector) (The Art Story)
See also: Remembering John Lennon
Her family moved to New York. Ono stayed in Japan for the remaining years of the war, sheltering in bunkers in the Karuizawa Mountains with extended family.
When the war ended, she was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program at Gakushuin University.
When an exhibition of her ‘Hammer in Nail’ piece was not yet open, John Lennon asked if he could hammer in a nail. Ono had not heard of the Beatles and agreed that he could hammer in a nail for five shillings. Lennon replied that in exchange for an imaginary five shillings, he would hammer in an imaginary nail.
When her father was transferred once more, the family returned to Japan. Ono was enrolled at the elite Gakushūin school, where children of the Imperial family are educated.
During the 1960s, Ono became an informal curator of the downtown arts scene in New York. She became known as the "High Priestess of the Happening" and was considered a lightning rod for culture.
After escaping Japan with her family during World War II, Yoko Ono went on to move to America, where she became a mogul in the art world. But despite being a leader in the worlds of art, culture, and activism, she has never escaped criticism for her alleged involvement in splitting up the Beatles.
In the following gallery, read about the life and times of the legendary woman that is Yoko Ono, and question the disputable role she played in breaking up one of the most significant forces in music.
Yoko Ono: The most criticized woman in pop culture
The artist turned 91 on February 18
CELEBRITY Art
After escaping Japan with her family during World War II, Yoko Ono went on to move to America, where she became a mogul in the art world. But despite being a leader in the worlds of art, culture, and activism, she has never escaped criticism for her alleged involvement in splitting up the Beatles.
In the following gallery, read about the life and times of the legendary woman that is Yoko Ono, and question the disputable role she played in breaking up one of the most significant forces in music.