Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono was born on the 18th of February 1933 in Tokyo to a wealthy banking family. Her father Eisuke worked for the Yokohama Specie Bank and her mother Isoko came from the powerful Yasuda clan. Two weeks before Yoko's birth, her father moved the family to San Francisco. They returned to Japan in 1937 when she was four years old. She attended Gakushuin University which is known as the Peers School. This elite institution educated children of the Japanese aristocracy including future Emperor Akihito.
The Second World War changed everything for the young girl. During the fire-bombing of the 9th of March 1945 she hid with relatives in a special bunker in Tokyo's Azabu district. Starvation became rampant after the bombings destroyed much of the city. Her mother traded goods like a German sewing machine for rice to keep the family alive. Yoko later described developing an aggressive attitude during this period of survival.
Her father remained in Hanoi where he was held in a prisoner of war camp until the end of the conflict. After the war ended in 1945 the rest of the family moved to Scarsdale New York while Yoko stayed behind in Japan. She re-enrolled at Gakushuin in April 1946. The school had not been damaged by the war and offered her a normal education despite the chaos surrounding her.
Ono joined the Fluxus group in the early 1960s though she declined formal membership to remain independent. George Maciunas promoted her work and gave her first solo exhibition at his AG Gallery in 1961. She rented a loft at 112 Chambers Street in downtown Manhattan to host experimental events. These gatherings featured artists like Marcel Duchamp and Peggy Guggenheim.
Her seminal performance Cut Piece debuted in 1964 at Kyoto's Yamaichi Concert Hall. Dressed in her best suit Ono knelt on stage with scissors before her. She invited audience members to cut pieces from her clothing while she sat silently. This act confronted issues of gender class and cultural identity through direct participation.
The book Grapefruit published in 1964 contained instructions for completing art works. One instruction read Hide until everybody goes home. Another asked participants to hide until they died. David Bourdon called it one of the monuments of conceptual art from that era. Her film No. 4 released in 1966 showed close-ups of human buttocks walking on a treadmill. The screen divided into four sections by gluteal clefts created an unusual visual experience.
Ono met John Lennon on the 7th of November 1966 at London's Indica Gallery. He climbed a ladder painted white to look through a magnifying glass at her Ceiling Painting Yes Painting. The word YES appeared in miniature text when he looked closely. Lennon later gave her handwritten lyrics to The Word after Paul McCartney declined to share his manuscripts.
They married on the 20th of March 1969 at a registry office in Gibraltar. Their honeymoon became a platform for peace activism known as bed-ins. They held their first event at Amsterdam's Hilton Hotel followed by another at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel. During these week-long protests they recorded Give Peace a Chance.
Lennon changed his name legally on the 22nd of April 1969 to include Ono as a middle name. Official documents referred to him as John Winston Ono Lennon thereafter. The couple settled at Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire England. They used bagism during press conferences where both wore bags over their bodies to satirize prejudice and stereotyping.
The Plastic Ono Band formed in 1968 as a multi-media machine maquette conceived by Lennon. It became a real band with Eric Clapton Klaus Voormann and Alan White playing instruments. Their first album Live Peace in Toronto 1969 featured rock standards followed by Ono's feedback-driven compositions Don't Worry Kyoko and John John Let's Hope for Peace.
Double Fantasy released the 17th of November 1980 marked the return of Lennon to public life after five years away. Critics gave tepid initial reviews focusing on idealized domestic bliss. The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1981 despite mixed reception.
On the 8th of December 1980 Mark David Chapman shot Lennon dead outside their Manhattan home The Dakota. Ono cradled his dying body in her arms. She lived in constant fear of assassination following the murder. Walking on Thin Ice released less than a month later became her first chart success peaking at number 58.
Ono funded the Strawberry Fields memorial dedicated the 9th of October 1985 across from The Dakota. This site marks where Lennon was murdered and serves as a tribute to his memory. The Imagine Peace Tower opened on Viðey Island Iceland in 2006. It projects a vertical beam of light into the sky between October 9 and December 8 each year.
She established the LennonOno Grant for Peace in 2002 worth $50,000 biennially. Over $350,000 has been distributed through BMI Foundation's John Lennon Scholarships since then. Her work includes disaster relief efforts in Japan and the Philippines after typhoons Pablo and Ondoy.
In 2012 she received the Dr. Rainer Hildebrandt Human Rights Award. Artists Against Fracking co-founded by Ono advocates against hydraulic fracturing methods. She also created the Wish Tree project installing native trees worldwide where visitors tie written wishes to branches.
Billboard magazine named her the 11th most successful dance club artist of all time in 2016. She achieved twelve number one singles on the US Dance charts starting with Walking on Thin Ice remixed in 2003. Move on Fast became her sixth consecutive number-one hit on that chart in 2011.
Her album Yes I'm a Witch released February 2007 included remixes from The Flaming Lips Cat Power and Anohni. Open Your Box followed as another compilation of dance remixes. These releases brought renewed attention to her experimental catalog.
Ono received the Hiroshima Art Prize in 2013 for contributions to art and peace. She curated the Meltdown festival in London during June 2013 performing two concerts including backing vocals for Siouxsie Sioux. Her work continues to influence contemporary artists like Lady Gaga who performed It's Getting Very Hard with her at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Yoko Ono born?
Yoko Ono was born on the 18th of February 1933 in Tokyo to a wealthy banking family. Her father Eisuke worked for the Yokohama Specie Bank and her mother Isoko came from the powerful Yasuda clan.
What happened to Yoko Ono during World War II?
During the fire-bombing of the 9th of March 1945 she hid with relatives in a special bunker in Tokyo's Azabu district. Starvation became rampant after the bombings destroyed much of the city and her mother traded goods like a German sewing machine for rice to keep the family alive.
How did Yoko Ono meet John Lennon?
Ono met John Lennon on the 7th of November 1966 at London's Indica Gallery. He climbed a ladder painted white to look through a magnifying glass at her Ceiling Painting Yes Painting and saw the word YES in miniature text.
Where were the bed-in peace protests held by Yoko Ono and John Lennon?
They held their first event at Amsterdam's Hilton Hotel followed by another at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel. During these week-long protests they recorded Give Peace a Chance as part of their honeymoon platform for peace activism.
When was John Lennon killed and what album did Yoko Ono release shortly after?
Mark David Chapman shot Lennon dead outside their Manhattan home The Dakota on the 8th of December 1980. Walking on Thin Ice released less than a month later became her first chart success peaking at number 58.
What memorial projects has Yoko Ono created for John Lennon?
Yoko Ono funded the Strawberry Fields memorial dedicated the 9th of October 1985 across from The Dakota. The Imagine Peace Tower opened on Viðey Island Iceland in 2006 and projects a vertical beam of light into the sky between October 9 and December 8 each year.