Annie Leibovitz John Lennon And Yoko Ono New York Photographs In this comparatively simple portrait, leibovitz relies on intimacy for effect. her aim was to immortalise john and yoko's deep love for one another. but within hours of taking this photograph john lennon was shot dead. distributed around the world as a rolling stone magazine cover, the photograph was instantly transformed. it became a memorial to lennon and a symbol of the vulnerability. A rare original copy of rolling stone featuring annie leibovitz‘s legendary portrait of a naked john lennon cradling a clothed yoko ono on its cover is up for auction on the magazine’s digital.
John Lennon Yoko Ono Annie Leibovitz Leibovitz eventually decided on a simple yet provocative black and white portrait, with lennon curled up naked next to a fully clothed ono. this striking composition highlighted the couple's unique bond and the vulnerability of their relationship. the photograph was taken on december 8, 1980 – the very day lennon was tragically assassinated. Annie leibovitz. b. 1949 'john lennon and yoko ono' large format dye transfer print, signed, titled, dated, editioned '2 10,' and annotated 'new york city' in ink in the margin, framed, 1980, printed in 1984. In 1980, the magazine rolling stone commissioned this portrait. this celebrated photograph, taken by annie leibovitz in the couple's manhattan apartment, suggests more than just two lovers. its poignancy is in lennon's nakedness and the vulnerability of his foetal curl as he plants a tender kiss on yoko's cheek. Leibovitz had tried recreating a scene similar to that of the cover of double fantasy, lennon and ono’s 1980 comeback album. years after taking the photograph, leibovitz recounted that when lennon saw the first test polaroid of the shoot, he said “you’ve captured our relationship exactly.” (rolling stone, january 22, 1981).