‘In My Life’ showcases artwork by John Lennon

An exhibit showcasing John Lennon’s lesserknown talent for visual art, titled “In My Life,” will be displayed at Pier Village in Long Branch the weekend of July 30-Aug. 1.

“Imagine” ESTATE OF JOHN LENNON/BAG ONE ARTS According to Legacy Productions, “In My Life,” a look into John’s life through his artwork, celebrates John’s 70th year. The exhibit will feature more than 100 pieces of art created by John Lennon, encompassing the years 1968 through 1980, including a collection of original drawings, rare works from the original “Bag One” suite hand-signed in 1970, and serigraphs, lithographs, copper etchings and aqua tints of John Lennon’s drawings signed by Yoko Ono.

“He was first an art student at Liverpool Art Institute, and so he was an artist,” recalled Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono.

Ono, an accomplished artist herself, said that she and Lennon initially connected through art.

“War” ESTATE OF JOHN LENNON/BAG ONE ARTS “When we first started to talk about things, we talked about creating and all that sort of stuff an art student would talk about.

“He appreciated the beauty and creativity of the visual arts. On a subconscious level, he was using the visual images that he had in his songs; listen to ‘Strawberry Fields’ for instance,” she said in an interview last week.

Ono said that Lennon had intended for these works to be published and displayed to the public.

“When he did something that he didn’t like, he said, ‘Oh, I don’t want this to slip out to the public,’ and he would just trash it.

“So he knew that all these things — he wanted to share with people. But not only that, he made a very active effort to get a gallery, and he was not successful,” she said.

Yoko Ono COURTESY OF YOKO ONO “There was not a strong reception for John’s artwork,” Ono said. “He was too famous as a musician.”

Ono said that Lennon’s unfulfilled desire for an art show and her own admiration of his work prompted her to bring these pieces to the public.

“He wanted to have an art show, and I remembered that and how he struggled with it after he heard that he couldn’t get it,” she said.

Ono said the program has increased in popularity since its debut.

“It’s been a very popular program. In the beginning, it wasn’t. It was the same old thing that John had to go through with ‘Why would you want to do an art show?’ ”

At first, Ono said, promoters wanted her to come and open the show to generate publicity, publicity that she felt the work generated on its own.

“War” ESTATE OF JOHN LENNON/BAG ONE ARTS “I think it was very demeaning that they were just counting on my face,” she said.

Now, Ono said, people are starting to better understand Lennon’s artwork.

“When anybody who didn’t know that he did artwork at all walked in [the gallery], they are very surprised because the way he did work was very professional; he was a professional artist.

“[His work] was not tacky, it was extremely good, it was extremely good on an extremely sophisticated level,” she said.

Ono said that Lennon’s work reflects his life but was not limited to certain subjects, such as family.

“He did a lot of family, I must say, but before that he did some gritty works as well.”

Many of the works, however, do feature Ono as the subject.

“After we got together and Sean was born, I think he was more interested with the family subject,” she said.

“Together” ESTATE OF JOHN LENNON/BAG ONE ARTS “Artists tend to draw what is around them, and I happened to be around; I was very lucky that way.”

Some have criticized Ono’s controversial coloring of some of Lennon’s drawings.

“The thing is, the people who were planning the art shows brought one of John’s drawings with bright colors on it, and I said, ‘How dare you do that! You just can’t touch his work.’ ”

They explained to Ono that galleries wouldn’t put drawings without color in the shop windows.

“So I said, ‘Well, at least let me color it, because he would not have minded that.

“The reason why I said that is not necessarily for sentimental reasons. The way they had colored it was not quite in the line of John’s work, and I wanted to make sure that my coloring would not be invasive of his drawing,” she explained.

The exhibit organizers suggest visitors contribute a minimum of $2 to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch and New Brunswick.

“I think this is a very good [charity] to focus on because it’s for the children,” Ono said. “I’d really like to see, as soon as possible, the day when all children will be healthy and happy.”

“In My Life” will be on display from July 30 through Aug. 1 at Pier Village on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch. The exhibit’s hours are from noon to 9 p.m. July 30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 31, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 1.