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John Lennon — The New York Years

John Lennon — The New York Years, photographed by Bob Gruen

Few photographers had the access to John Lennon that Bob Gruen had through the 1970s. He met Lennon and Yoko Ono shortly after they moved to New York and photographed them for the next eight years, in the studio, at home, at demonstrations and on the street, as friend as much as photographer.

The collection follows that decade. It begins at the Apollo Theater in 1971 and the Record Plant sessions of 1972, where Lennon recorded with Elephant's Memory and where Gruen photographed him alongside Andy Warhol, Phil Spector and Mick Jagger. It continues through the One to One concert at Madison Square Garden in 1972, the last full concert Lennon gave, and the walks through Central Park and Central Park West in 1973.

In 1974 Gruen made the photograph that became the defining image of Lennon's New York life: the portrait on a rooftop in the NYC T-shirt, taken on the same afternoon as the Statue of Liberty picture and the frames from the Walls and Bridges session. The collection includes the contact sheet from that day.

Taken together, these works form the most complete photographic record of Lennon after the Beatles, made from inside his life rather than from the other side of a barrier.

Each work is produced from the original negative, hand-signed by Bob Gruen, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a secure digital provenance record.

Photographed by Bob Gruen. Related collections: The Beatles, Ramones, The Rolling Stones.

94 works
John Lennon and Yoko Ono dancing at The Hit Factory in New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·6870
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Recording at The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Recording at The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·8374
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Knitting at The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Knitting at The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·4534
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon reclining on a sofa at Hit Factory, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon on the Sofa at Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·8918
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon, Portrait, Hit Factory, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon, Portrait, Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·1862
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon, Hit Factory, New York City, 1980 (3), photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon Reclining at the Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·8022
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon wearing a striped tie at The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon Wearing Striped Tie, The Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·7398
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon and Sean Lennon, Hit Factory, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Sean Lennon, Hit Factory, New York City, 1980TMPG·5606
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon. 44th Street, NYC, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon, 44th Street, New York City, 1980TMPG·9542
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono on 44th Street in New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 44th Street, New York City, 1980TMPG·6246
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John Lennon portrait in New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon Portrait, New York City, 1980TMPG·2582
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon with a guitar sculpture in New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon with Guitar Sculpture, New York City, 1980TMPG·9814
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon & Yoko Ono. NYC, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Portrait, New York City, 1980TMPG·9894
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, New York City, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, New York City, 1980TMPG·9622
Bob Gruen From $450
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John Lennon. NYC, 1980, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon with Giant Guitar Sculpture, New York City, 1980TMPG·6054
Bob Gruen From $450
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After December 8

1981
After John Lennon’s death, New York became a landscape of remembrance. Fans gathered, wrote messages, and transformed parts of the city into informal memorials. The final images in this collection reflect both the shock of loss and the enduring cultural presence Lennon left behind. In these photographs, Gruen’s New York story continues beyond Lennon’s lifetime, closing the collection with memory, mourning, and the persistence of an image that still belongs to the city.
John Lennon Graffiti, East 11th Street, New York City, 1981, photographed by Bob Gruen.
John Lennon Graffiti, East 11th Street, New York City, 1981TMPG·0246
Bob Gruen From $450
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Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon. Dakota Building, NYC, 1981, photographed by Bob Gruen.
Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, Dakota Building, New York City, 1981TMPG·0790
Bob Gruen From $450
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Bob Gruen, Working Class Hero Portfolio, original acid-free cloth-covered presentation box with engraved bronze title plaque, 1990.
Working Class Hero PortfolioTMPG·7718
Bob Gruen Price on request
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90 of 94 works