Description
To commemorate what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday on Oct 9, 2010, we issued a portrait of the musician, poet, cartoonist, comedian, iconoclast, author (In his Own Write, A Spaniard in the Works), and self-proclaimed Working Class Hero.
Drew Friedman portrays Lennon circa late 1968/early 1969—post-India, after The White Album and before Abbey Road, looking a little pensive, possibly sensing the impending breakup of the Beatles. At this stage John was firmly paired with Yoko, while Bagism, Shagism, Bed-Ins, the wedding vows on the Rock of Gibraltar, the Plastic Ono Band, and The Mike Douglas Show loomed on the horizon.
In 2010 when we issued this work, we also sadly marked the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s murder at the Dakota in New York City, December 1980.
This illustration was originally commissioned by TIME magazine to accompany a short tribute to Lennon written by former bandmate Sir Paul McCartney. The work was slightly modified for this fine art print.