Drawings created by John Lennon for what some believe was the world’s first rock music video have gone on display at the Liverpool Beatles Museum. The pop art images, a collaboration between Lennon and artist Stephen Verona, were used in a promotional film for The Beatles’ 1965 hit ‘I Feel Fine’.
The original set of 240 drawings was sold by Christie’s in 2000 for more than $58,000, subsequently becoming separated. Ten of these pieces have now been reunited after collector Joseph O’Donnell spotted them at an auction in London. The 29-year-old from Tynemouth said: “I’m a big Beatles fan and I spotted these at an auction in London, where they weren’t really made a big deal of. I thought I would have a go at bidding on them, although I thought it might go a bit crazy, and I managed to get them at a reasonable price.”
Each artwork features a different word from the song, and O’Donnell was able to piece them together to form a full sentence. Lennon collaborated with Verona after a chance meeting in a London nightclub. In a later interview, Verona said the two sat at the kitchen table of his Manhattan apartment to colour in the images using felt tip markers, while smoking.
The drawings on display show the lines “baby says she’s mine” and “in love with her” as well as two singular artworks for the words “and” and “I”. They were unveiled at the museum on Mathew Street on Thursday and will be on display for several months. O’Donnell, who eventually plans to sell them, wanted to loan them to the museum to allow other fans to see them together.
