The gilbert and lila silverman fluxus collection gift. Fluxus games, hybrid texts this is my third post that involves yoko ono see here and here. It also brought the audience into close contact with the artist, which was a new concept and crossed. Grapefruit is an artists book written by yoko ono, originally published in 1964. Reconsidering yoko ono 20, lisa carver writes, yoko ono wrote, burn this book, in her first published book, grapefruit, 1964, six years before abbie hoffman wrote steal this book. In the 60s and 70s ono was associated with the fluxus movementa loose group of avantgarde dadainspired artistsand produced printed matter, such as a book titled grapefruit 1964 containing instructions for musical and artistic pieces. Existing at the axis of these is her 1964 book, grapefruit described as a one of the monuments of conceptual art of the early 1960s. Yoko onos grapefruit original manuscript on view for the first time, stendhal gallery, 2009. One woman show, 19601971 and revisiting the first edition of the conceptualart compendium grapefruit. Grapefruit is a delightful book of poems and art by yoko ono. And at the age of 85, her dedication to spreading messages of love and understanding through the arts shows no sign of stopping.
Notes on yoko ono, grapefruit, original manuscript, 1964. Yoko ono in 1964, a small exhibition at ise culture foundation gallery, new york april 2may 15, 2004. It has become famous as an early example of conceptual art, containing a series of event scores that replace the physical work of art the traditional stock in trade. Yoko onos strange fruit grapefruit madeline bocaro. Assembled into an artists book and originally published in tokyo in a limited edition of 500 simon and schuster would release a mass market edition in 1970, the small, rectilinear cards each contain simple. These cards form one of the earliest typescripts for a book that was to be filled with onos instruction pieces. Currently, a first edition of grapefruit is very rarely available to the public, and our desire and onos is to make the book in its original paperbound form. Burn this story about yoko ono after youve read it pbs.
Her artists book grapefruit, first published in 1964 in tokyo by wunternaum press, in an edition of 500 copies, contains more than 150 works divided into five sections. Ono, 84, and her son sean ono lennon accepted the centennial song award for imagine wednesday at a national music. Instructions by yoko ono reproduced from grapefruit. The lyrics of the title track were inspired by yoko onos event scores in her 1964 book grapefruit, and she was officially cocredited as writer in june 2017. If you missed this collection when it was published in 1964, now is a good a time as any to take a look.
Her cut piece 1964, a first for feminist art performance, invited audience members to take turns cutting off her clothes using a pair of scissors. Throughout her life, onos had a love affair with books thats carried through much of her work. In 2015 to coincide with yoko ono one woman show, new yorks museum of modern art published an exact replica of the 1964 first edition of grapefruit in a slipcase 550 copies. Assembled into an artists book and originally published in tokyo in a limited edition of 500 simon and schuster would release a mass market edition in 1970, the small, rectilinear cards each contain simple, handtyped instructions, such as imagine the clouds dripping. In yoko ono it goes outin the book grapefruit 1964. Why yoko onos strange art book grapefruit is a welcome. Gordon took cues from suggestions written as poems in onos 1964 book grapefruit. Interested in the integration of art with everyday life, ono became associated with the fluxus collective, and in 1961 the groups founder, george maciunas, provided her with her first solo gallery show. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Guestcurated by midori yamamura, the exhibition intimately chronicles her artistic output in this crucial time. Christopher rountree leads members of the press and other luminaries in this performance from the. A new book from yoko ono explores the creation of imagine. It transports readers to home and working environments showcasing.
Yoko ono is a seminal figure in the development of conceptual art, performance and fluxus, as well as film and new music. Back in print for the first time in nearly thirty years, here is yoko o. If onos life evolved significantly during the two years she spent in japan, so did her art, as demonstrated by grapefruit. Yoko onos had a long and storied career as an avantgarde multimedia artist, author and peace activist.
Grapefruit scores in 1964, ono published a selection of her instructions in a book titled, grapefruit. The legendary 1971 album imagine marked the culmination of an intense creative collaboration between john lennon and yoko ono. The title of the piece and some of the performances within it are based on yoko onos 1964 fluxus anthology, grapefruit. It compiled the absurd, funny, and openended ideas that she had been jotting down since she first. Grapefruit book grapefruit is an artists book written by yoko ono, originally published in 1964. Onos small book titled grapefruit is another seminal piece of conceptual art. One of yoko onos most famous works of any medium, grapefruit, is an influential early example of conceptual art. In grapefruit, the cast were asked to play specific episodes in the lives of the beatles and yoko ono at the end of the 1960s, episodes that originally came to be known widely through pop literature, the tabloid press, and.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Though not my favorite of her works, it did produce a few gems for me within it. First published in 1964, the book reads as a set of instructions through which the work of art is completedeither literally or in the imagination of the viewer participant. Yoko ono reading instructions from her grapefruit book. Why yoko onos strange art book grapefruit is a welcome remedy. Yoko a dream you dream alone may be a dream, but a dream two people dream together is a reality. In 1964, yoko had selfpublished 500 copies of grapefruit, her goodnaturedly defiant little book. Grapefruit is a must for all those who are interested in fluxus, instructional painting and yoko ono. Which is funny because im not really that obsessed or deeply engaged with yokos. Her artists book grapefruit, first published in 1964 in tokyo by wunternaum press in an edition of 500 copies. Acorn is a sort of sequel to grapefruit, onos influential first book, which was published in 1964, before she became involved with john lennon. Yoko ono and john lennon at a book signing for grapefruit in london.
From the museum of modern art, yoko ono, grapefruit 1964, artists book, offset. Yoko ono is a seminal figure in the development of conceptual art, performance, and fluxus, as well as film and new music. This book updated from her original 1964 version with added content from john helps you see what. Her artists book grapefruit, first published in 1964 in tokyo by wunternaum press in an edition of 500 copies, contains more than 150 works divided into five sections. In 1964, more than a decade after the publication of her tender story an. Back in print for the first time in nearly thirty years, here is yoko onos whimsical, delightful, subversive, startling book of instructions for art and for life. Existing at the axis of these is her 1964 book, grapefruit described. It compiled the absurd, funny, and openended ideas that she had been jotting down since she. Originally released as an edition of 500 copies while ono was back living in tokyo with her second husband anthony cox, grapefruit was reprinted in 1970 with an introduction from lennon himself. Yoko onos poems, drawings, and instructions for life. A book of instructions and drawings yoko ono, john lennon description.
These worksconceptual instructionsare the culmination of a. The summer of yoko ono ends with shrieks and screams at. Yoko onos 1964 book grapefruit, an early experiment in conceptual art, inspired the lyrics to john lennons imagine. First published in tokyo in 1964, with a print run of 500 copies, grapefruit. Yoko ono was lennons muse, and even quirkier than him. Yoko ono joins john lennon with credit line for writing imagine the song imagine is an international anthem of peace and, well, imagination. It has become famous as an early example of conceptual art, containing a series of event scores that replace the physical work of art the traditional stockintrade of artists with instructions that an individual may, or may not, wish to enact. This small book is a collection of some of her written work. She says my interest is mainly in painting to construct in your head. The summer of yoko at the smithsonians hirshhorn museum and sculpture. Its precisely this inevitable erasure that makes momas decision to devote an entire gallery to a single ono book grapefruit, her 1964 compendium of conceptualart instructionsfeel. Above us only sky 2018, available on netflix as of june 2019, and youll be interested in this book.
He said he received inspiration from onos 1964 book grapefruit. I have a lot of love for yoko ono, but i struggled with this book as it seemed uncharacteristically selfserving. Ono later compiled these epigrammatic textslighting piece 1955 offered the direction light a match and watch till it goes outin the book grapefruit 1964. A book of instructions and drawings by yoko ono, is an exotic and sensitive manual to design situations. Presented under the headings of music, painting, event, poetry, and object, each page features a set of instructions proposing an artwork that readers imagine or realize themselves. I wasnt even born when this collection first became available, but onos book is a classic that ought to be admired and studied by my generation of. Here are eleven times yoko ono helped to shape the face of popular culture forever. An eccentric manual for life made out of instructions, drawings and poems. Interested in the integration of art with everyday life, ono became associated with the fluxus collective, and in 1961 the groups founder, george maciunas, provided her. Grapefruit onos 1964 artbook grapefruit is full of instructions and aphorisms such as.
Posted by cameron foote, 12month modern womens fund intern yoko ono. Mar, 2014 instructions by yoko ono reproduced from grapefruit, 1964, as seen at the hirshhorn in damage control, 1120 stay safe and healthy. Produced from a complete copy of onos text held in momas library collection, this edition of grapefruit is the first full facsimile to be released of the 1964 original. Ono was one of the strongest feminist voices to emerge from the art world in the 60s.