The image is © 1967 by NEMS Enterprises, Ltd. All rights reserved, published and distributed by Cowles Education Corporation, 488 Madison/Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022, in cooperation with Richard Avedon Posters, Inc. exclusively under license from Maximus Enterprises, Ltd.. There is one other image of this object. See our image rights statement.

 

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Object Timeline

1967

  • Work on this object began.

1981

  • We acquired this object.

  • We exhibited this object.

2001

2015

2017

2025

  • You found it!

Poster, John Lennon

This is a Poster. It was designed by Richard Avedon and published by Cowles Education Corporation and association: Maximus Enterprises, Ltd. and NEMS Enterprises, Ltd. and printed by Waterlow & Sons, Ltd. and made for Look Magazine and Richard Avedon Posters, Inc.. It is dated 1967 and we acquired it in 1981. Its medium is offset lithograph on white wove paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.


This poster suggests an altered state of mind by filling John Lennon’s glasses with a swirling optical illusion. The photograph has been converted to a high-contrast image, a technique sometimes called "posterization."

This object was donated by Various Donors. It is credited Gift of Various Donors.

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Its dimensions are

79.2 × 57.3 cm (31 3/16 × 22 9/16 in.)

It is inscribed

Printed in green, lower left corner, margin: JOHN LENNON photographed by Richard Avedon for Look Magazine; lower right corner, margin: Copyright © 1967 by NEMS Enterprises, Ltd. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Cowles Education Corporation, 488 Madison / Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022, in cooperation with Richard Avedon Posters, Inc. exclusively under license from Maximus Enterprises, Ltd.

Cite this object as

Poster, John Lennon; Designed by Richard Avedon (American, 1923–2004); Association: Maximus Enterprises, Ltd., NEMS Enterprises, Ltd.; Printed by Waterlow & Sons, Ltd.; Published by Cowles Education Corporation; Made for Richard Avedon Posters, Inc. (United States), Look Magazine; USA; offset lithograph on white wove paper; 79.2 × 57.3 cm (31 3/16 × 22 9/16 in.); Gift of Various Donors; 1981-29-511

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions How Posters Work and Ephemeral Images: Recent American Posters.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18618175/ |title=Poster, John Lennon |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=6 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>