Imagine Peace in this 'Double Fantasy' Exhibition in Liverpool
This major exhibition about the shared life of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the Museum of Liverpool spanned through 2018. It was so hugely popular that it was expanded for a few months more, till autumn 2019.
Yoko Ono opened the exhibition; she provided many of the personal items never ever displayed before, and took care that everything will be up to scratch for the public presentation. The space followed a timeline, from the first meeting of the iconic couple in London at Indica Gallery, through all the years of Lennon solo career, Plastic Ono band, their activities, artwork, successes and struggles.
Visitors could read or hear John and Yoko memories and opinions on a number of displays. It was a journey through their life, told in their own words - for the very first time on such a scale, detail and intimacy. All visuals had been kept black and white in line with the last album, Double Fantasy and many of their joint pieces of performance art.
The Imagine Peace campaign, widely televised, famous Bed-ins, a chess play board where no one wins or looses because of lack of disparate colours - all this and many more items captured moments of intimate insights into the minds, thoughts, feelings of this remarkable couple. It was a true celebration for the fans.
Expressing love and peace was their mutual task, however, they were not void of character flaws, misfortunes, bad luck and controversies - especially for the hard-core fans of the Beatles.
John, the multitalented global rock 'n' roll star, and Yoko, a well-known avant-garde artist, certainly stirred the public eye with their edgy catching phrases and instigating, provoking events during the 1970s. Using their fame and fortune to campaign for peace and human rights, John still had to fight for many years for his right to stay in New York - he was the elephant in the room for the authorities engaged in Watergate scandal and Vietnam War.
The story of their relationship ends tragically with John's death in winter 1980. He was one of the many victims of the shot-gun killings that occur in the United States every year. He was one of the most inspirational characters in our lifetime and beyond.
We had visited the Double Fantasy exhibition on a number of occasions, taking time to immerse as fully as possible into every recess of the displays. Many times we had been moved and touched to the bits of our souls. This is what art is for.
Double Fantasy was the fifth album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in November 1980, after a five-year silence. As the records show, the reviews were rather unsympathetic, to say the least. Three weeks later, John was shot twice in the back by a loony with a gun. It was a worldwide shock.
The album was instantly a worldwide commercial success, also winning the next year Grammy Award.
At the same time, in St George Hall, a statue of John Lennon, leaning over the peace symbol, was unveiled:
