Yoko Ono facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yoko Ono
小野 洋子 オノ・ヨーコ
Ono in 2016
Born	(1933-02-18) February 18, 1933 (age 92) Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Other names	Yoko Ono Lennon
Alma mater	Gakushuin University Sarah Lawrence College
Occupation	Artist singer songwriter musician peace activist
Spouse(s)	Toshi Ichiyanagi ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1963)​ Anthony Cox ​ ​ (m. 1962; ann. 1963)​ ​ ​ (m. 1963; div. 1969)​ John Lennon ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 1980)​
Children	Kyoko Cox, Sean Ono Lennon
Musical career
Genres	Avant-garde Neo-Dada downtown performance art experimental rock pop electronic noise abstract
Instruments	Vocals piano percussion
Years active	1961–present
Labels	Apple Geffen Polydor Rykodisc Twisted Manimal Vinyl Astralwerks Chimeras Secretly Canadian
Signature

Yoko Ono (Japanese: 小野 洋子, romanized: Ono Yōko, born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese artist, musician, activist, and filmmaker. She is known for her unique art, experimental music, and her work for peace. Ono became widely known in 1969 when she married English musician John Lennon of the Beatles.

Together, they used their fame to promote peace, especially against the Vietnam War. They formed the Plastic Ono Band and created many artistic projects. After Lennon's tragic death in 1980, Ono continued her artistic career and worked to keep his message of peace alive. She has received many awards for her art and activism.

Biography

Early Life and Family

Yoko Ono was born in Tokyo, Japan, on February 18, 1933. Her mother, Isoko Ono, and father, Eisuke Ono, came from respected families. Her father was a wealthy banker and a classical pianist. The name Yōko means "ocean child" in Japanese.

Her family moved between Japan and the United States several times during her childhood. When Yoko was very young, her father's job took them to San Francisco. They later returned to Japan.

Yoko attended elite schools in Tokyo, including Gakushūin, where she took piano lessons from age four. She also enjoyed traditional Japanese performances with her mother.

During World War II, Yoko remained in Tokyo. She experienced difficult times, including the fire-bombing of 1945. Her family faced challenges, and her mother had to trade belongings for food. Her father was in French Indochina during the war and was held in a camp.

After the war, Yoko continued her studies in Japan. She was even a classmate of Prince Akihito, who later became the Emperor of Japan. At 14, she began vocal training.

College and Early Art Career

In 1951, Yoko Ono began studying philosophy at Gakushuin University in Japan. She was one of the first women to enter the program. A year later, she moved to New York City to join her family and attended Sarah Lawrence College.

At college, Yoko explored poetry, literature, and music. She was inspired by experimental composers like Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg. Her teacher introduced her to "avant-garde" music, a style that pushes boundaries.

After leaving college, Yoko moved to New York City in 1957. She supported herself by working as a secretary and teaching traditional Japanese arts. She became part of the city's exciting downtown art scene.

Yoko was connected to the Fluxus group, a collection of artists known for their experimental and often playful art. Although she chose to remain independent, she collaborated with many Fluxus artists. In 1961, she had her first solo art show in New York.

She also met influential artists like John Cage, a pioneer in experimental music. Yoko rented a loft at 112 Chambers Street, which became a space for avant-garde concerts and art events. Famous artists like Marcel Duchamp attended these gatherings.

In 1961, Yoko had her first major public performance at Carnegie Hall. She presented radical experimental music and performances. One of her early conceptual artworks was Painting to Be Stepped On. This piece invited people to walk on a canvas, making their footprints part of the art.

In 1962, Yoko went through a difficult time and received care in Japan. She later married Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi.

Early Career and Motherhood

In 1962, Yoko married Anthony Cox, an American film producer. Their daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, was born on August 8, 1963.

Yoko continued to focus on her art career. She performed in Tokyo and later returned to New York with Kyoko. Anthony Cox helped manage her art and publicity.

In 1965, Yoko performed her famous piece Cut Piece at Carnegie Recital Hall. In this performance, she invited audience members to cut pieces of her clothing. This artwork explored themes of trust and vulnerability.

Yoko and Cox divorced in 1969. During a custody dispute in 1971, Cox disappeared with their eight-year-old daughter, Kyoko. He claimed Yoko was an unfit mother. Yoko searched for Kyoko for many years and finally saw her again in 1998.

Relationship with John Lennon

Ono and John Lennon when they married, March 1969

Yoko Ono first met Paul McCartney of the Beatles in London while seeking a song manuscript for a book. McCartney suggested she ask John Lennon.

Ono and Lennon met on November 7, 1966, at the Indica Gallery in London. Yoko was preparing her art exhibit, Unfinished Paintings. One piece, Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting, had a ladder leading to a magnifying glass. When Lennon looked through it, he read the word YES, which he found very positive.

Lennon was also interested in Yoko's Hammer a Nail piece, where viewers could hammer a nail into a white board. Lennon wanted to participate, and they shared a playful moment.

Yoko and John began writing to each other and soon started a close relationship. In May 1968, they spent time together creating experimental tape recordings. These recordings became their first collaborative album, Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, which featured a striking image of the artists on the cover.

On March 20, 1969, Lennon and Ono married in Gibraltar. They spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam, where they held a "bed-in" for peace. They invited the press to their hotel room to talk about world peace, not just their marriage. They held another bed-in in Montreal, where they recorded the famous peace anthem "Give Peace a Chance".

The couple often combined activism with performance art.

Lennon officially changed his middle name to Ono in April 1969, showing their strong connection.

The Plastic Ono Band

Lennon and Ono recording "Give Peace a Chance", at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, 1969

After the Beatles broke up, Lennon and Ono formed their own group, the Plastic Ono Band. This band allowed them to release their unique and experimental music. The name came from an art project Yoko had conceived earlier.

In July 1969, the Plastic Ono Band released its first single, "Give Peace a Chance." This was followed by the album Live Peace in Toronto 1969, recorded live at a festival. Yoko performed two original songs on the album, showcasing her distinctive vocal style.

Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band and Fly

Ono released her first solo album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, in 1970. It was a companion to Lennon's solo album. Her album featured raw, powerful vocals and experimental sounds, influencing many artists.

Ono and Lennon, c. 1971

In 1971, she released Fly, a double album that explored psychedelic rock and Fluxus experiments. It included "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)", a song for her missing daughter. Yoko also contributed to Lennon and Ono's Christmas song, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", which became a holiday classic and a protest song against the Vietnam War.

Separation and Reconciliation

The Dakota, Ono's residence from 1973 to 2023

After the Beatles disbanded, Ono and Lennon moved to Manhattan. Their relationship faced challenges, and they separated in 1973. During this time, Yoko continued her art career.

In 1974, Lennon and Ono reconciled. Their son, Sean, was born on October 9, 1975, which was also John's 35th birthday. After Sean's birth, both Yoko and John took a break from music to focus on raising their son. Sean later followed in his parents' footsteps and became a musician.

Return to Music and John Lennon's Death

Lennon and Ono in 1980, shortly before his death

In 1980, Yoko and John decided to return to music. They began writing songs together, creating an album structured as a dialogue between them. This marked Lennon's return to the public eye after five years.

Their album, Double Fantasy, was released on November 17, 1980. Just three weeks later, on the evening of December 8, 1980, John Lennon tragically died outside their apartment building, The Dakota, in Manhattan.

After John's death, Yoko released her song "Walking on Thin Ice (For John)" as a single. It became her first chart success as a solo artist. Double Fantasy received widespread acclaim and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1981.

In 1981, Yoko released the album Season of Glass, which featured a striking cover photo. The album received positive reviews and reflected the public's feelings after Lennon's passing.

Yoko funded the creation of the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park, Manhattan, across from their home. It was dedicated on October 9, 1985, what would have been John's 45th birthday.

Her album Starpeace (1985) was a concept album promoting peace. The single "Hell in Paradise" was a hit on the US dance charts.

Resurgence and Collaborations

In 1990, Yoko Ono collaborated to organize a worldwide broadcast of "Imagine" to honor what would have been Lennon's 50th birthday. Over 1,000 stations in more than 50 countries participated.

In 1992, she released Onobox, a six-disc collection of her solo work and unreleased material. This helped a new generation of fans appreciate her pioneering blend of pop and avant-garde music.

Yoko continued to collaborate with various artists. In 1995, she released Rising with her son Sean and his band. She also worked with alternative rock musicians on the Rising Mixes EP.

In 2000, Ono founded the John Lennon Museum in Saitama, Japan, which displayed many items from Lennon's life. The museum closed in 2010.

Her feminist concept album Blueprint for a Sunrise was released in 2001. After the September 11 attacks, Yoko organized a concert called "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music" to raise money for relief efforts.

Later Life and Dance Chart Hits

Universal Music Group's Svoy and Yoko Ono at BMI, NYC, in 2004.

Starting in 2003, Yoko Ono's songs were remixed by DJs for dance clubs. For these projects, she used the name "ONO." She achieved great success with remixes of "Walking on Thin Ice," which became her first number-one hit on Billboard's Dance/Club Play chart in April 2003. She had many more number-one dance hits over the years.

In 2004, during the Liverpool Biennial, Ono presented an art piece dedicated to John Lennon's mother, Julia. The work, titled My Mummy Was Beautiful, explored themes of early childhood perception and a child's view of a mother's body.

Yoko performed at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Turin, Italy, where she read a poem calling for world peace.

In 2007, she released Yes, I'm a Witch, an album of remixes and covers of her songs by various artists. On October 9 of that year, the Imagine Peace Tower was lit on Viðey Island in Iceland. This tower, dedicated to peace and to Lennon, projects a beam of light into the sky each year from October 9 to December 8.

Ono at the Seeds of Peace in 2008

In 2009, at 76 years old, Yoko scored her fifth number-one hit on the Dance/Club Play chart with "I'm Not Getting Enough". She also designed a T-shirt for the Fashion Against AIDS campaign, promoting "Imagine Peace" in many languages.

The New Plastic Ono Band

Ono appears at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards, spring of 2011

In 2009, Ono recorded Between My Head and the Sky, her first album released as "Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band" since 1973. The new lineup included her son Sean Lennon. In 2010, Sean organized a "We Are Plastic Ono Band" concert in Brooklyn, where Yoko performed with Sean and other famous musicians.

In April 2010, she was named the first "Global Autism Ambassador" by Autism Speaks. She created artwork to raise awareness and funds for the organization.

Ono performing at the 2011 Iceland Airwaves

On her 78th birthday in 2011, Yoko took out a full-page newspaper advertisement for "Imagine Peace 2011," inviting people to wish for peace. She and Sean also held a benefit concert to aid victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Ono in September 2011

In 2012, she received the Oskar Kokoschka Prize, Austria's highest award for contemporary art. Her work To the Light was exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery in London. She also collaborated with Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth on the album Yokokimthurston.

In February 2013, to celebrate her 80th birthday, a large retrospective exhibition of her work, Half-a-Wind Show, opened in Frankfurt, Germany, and traveled to other museums.

In 2013, she and the Plastic Ono Band released the album Take Me to the Land of Hell, featuring many guest artists. Her video for "Bad Dancer" was well-received. By the end of 2013, she had two consecutive number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play Charts.

In 2014, "Angel" became Ono's twelfth number-one hit on the US Dance chart. In February 2016, Yes, I'm a Witch Too, an album of remixes, was released to critical acclaim. In December 2016, Billboard magazine named her the 11th most successful dance club artist of all time.

In October 2018, Ono released Warzone, which included new versions of her previously recorded songs. In November 2021, it was noted that Ono had stepped back from public life, with her son Sean representing the family's interests.

Artwork

Instructions for Paintings, 1961–62

This conceptual artwork consisted of 22 instructions for paintings, written by Yoko's then-husband, Toshi Ichiyanagi. There were no actual paintings, just the written instructions for how to create them.

Cut Piece, 1964

Yoko Ono was a pioneer of conceptual and performance art. Her important work Cut Piece was first performed in 1964 in Kyoto, Japan. Yoko knelt on a stage with scissors in front of her. She invited audience members to come up and cut pieces of her clothing. This piece explored ideas about gender, identity, and the relationship between artists and their audience.

Ono performed the piece again in Paris in 2003, hoping to show that "we need to trust each other."

Grapefruit Book, 1964

Ono's book Grapefruit is another important conceptual art piece. First published in 1964, it contains a series of instructions that become the artwork, either literally or in the reader's imagination. For example, "Hide and Seek Piece: Hide until everybody goes home. Hide until everybody forgets about you. Hide until everybody dies."

Grapefruit has been published many times. Art critics have called it a significant work of conceptual art from the early 1960s.

Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting, 1966

This artwork was shown at Yoko's 1966 exhibition in London. It was the piece that John Lennon saw when he first met Yoko. Viewers climbed a ladder to look through a magnifying glass and read the word YES written in tiny letters on the ceiling.

Experimental Films, 1964–1972

Ono was also an experimental filmmaker, creating 16 films between 1964 and 1972. One well-known film is No. 4, often called Bottoms, from 1966. This 80-minute film shows close-ups of human backsides walking on a treadmill. The film explores the human form in an unusual way.

She also collaborated with Lennon on films like Fly (1970) and Up Your Legs Forever.

Wish Tree, 1996–Present

Contributions to Yoko Ono's Wish Tree at Serpentine Galleries, 2012

Wish Tree is one of Yoko's participatory art projects. A tree native to the location is installed, and people are invited to write a wish on a piece of paper, fold it, and tie it to a branch. The instructions are:

• Make a wish
• Write it down on a piece of paper
• Fold it and tie it around a branch of a Wish Tree
• Ask your friends to do the same
• Keep wishing
• Until the branches are covered with wishes.

Wish Tree installations have appeared all over the world, including in New York, London, and Japan. The wishes collected are often sent to the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland.

Billboard for Imagine Peace

Arising, 2015

In 2015, Ono created the piece Arising in Venice. As part of an exhibition, artworks were presented in the Venetian lagoon. This feminist work of art aimed to awaken "Women Power" and encourage healing between men and women.

Skylanding, 2016

Skylanding – Jackson Park, Chicago

In October 2016, Ono unveiled her first permanent art installation in the United States, called Skylanding. Located in Jackson Park, Chicago, this artwork promotes peace. Yoko was inspired by the Garden of the Phoenix in Chicago and feels a strong connection to the city.

DREAM TOGETHER, 2020

In 2020, Yoko Ono created DREAM TOGETHER for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This was the first time the Museum displayed art on its facade. The artwork, consisting of black text on two white banners, conveyed a powerful message of hope and unity during the COVID-19 crisis.

Recognition and Retrospectives

War Is Over! (if you want it). Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2013.

John Lennon once called Yoko "the world's most famous unknown artist." She has collaborated with many influential artists like Andy Warhol and Nam June Paik.

In 1989, the Whitney Museum held a retrospective of her work, Yoko Ono: Objects, Films. This marked her return to the New York art world.

In 2001, Y E S YOKO ONO, a 40-year retrospective of her work, received a major award for best museum show. The exhibition traveled to 13 museums around the world. Yoko also received honorary doctorates from Liverpool University and Bard College.

In 2009, she received a Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement from the Venice Biennale, a very prestigious art award. In 2012, she won the Oskar Kokoschka Prize, Austria's highest award for contemporary art.

In 2015, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City held an exhibition of her early work, "Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960–1971." Yoko Ono also received the European Cultural Centre Art Award for her ongoing efforts to promote peace.

In 2024, the Tate Modern in London organized a major retrospective exhibition titled Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind. This exhibition included participatory works like Cut Piece and Add Color (Refugee Boat). It traveled to other museums in Germany and the United States.

Discography

Books and Monographs

• Grapefruit (1964)
• Summer of 1980 (1983)
• ただの私 (Tada-no Watashi – Just Me!) (1986)
• The John Lennon Family Album (1990)
• Instruction Paintings (1995)
• Grapefruit Juice (1998)
• YES YOKO ONO (2000)
• Odyssey of a Cockroach (2005)
• Imagine Yoko (2005)
• Memories of John Lennon (editor) (2005)
• 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories From the Japan Earthquake (contributor) (2011)
• 郭知茂 Vocal China Forever Love Song
• Acorn (2013)
• ”ARISING” This book is the documentation of Personal Structures Art Projects #09. Published by European Cultural Centre.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos (as director)

Video Art

• Sky TV (1966)
• Blueprint for the Sunrise (2000, 28 min)
• Onochord (2004, continuous loop)

Awards and Nominations

See Also

In Spanish: Yoko Ono para niños

• Feminist art movement
• List of peace activists
• An Anthology of Chance Operations
• List of music artists by net worth