Bob Gruen, Love is Real Portfolio, complete 1990 limited edition portfolio containing six original silver gelatin photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Love is Real Portfolio
Love is Real Portfolio
Love is Real Portfolio
Love is Real Portfolio
Bob Gruen

Love is Real Portfolio

John Lennon, Yoko Ono, The Beatles
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About the Photograph

Love is Real is one of the most intimate portfolios ever produced from Bob Gruen's archive. Published in collaboration with Yoko Ono in 1990, it brings together six original silver gelatin photographs documenting John Lennon and Yoko Ono between 1972 and 1980, from private moments at the St. Moritz Hotel and Greenwich, Connecticut to rehearsals, performances, and portraits from their final years in New York City.

Printed in 1990 by Motal Custom Darkroom, New York, each photograph measures 16 × 20 inches on Elite fiber paper and forms part of a numbered edition of 75. Conceived as a complete portfolio rather than a group of individual prints, the images create a visual narrative of one of the most significant artistic and personal partnerships in music history.

Offered here is Set No. 3, preserved in its original archival presentation portfolio and complete with all six photographs as originally issued. Rarely encountered on the market, Love is Real represents an exceptional museum-quality edition from Bob Gruen's celebrated John Lennon archive.

The Print Object details, provenance, condition & documentation
Photographer
Bob Gruen
Subject
John LennonYoko OnoThe Beatles
Collection
Bob Gruen Archive
Image Date
1972–1980
Print Date
1990
Object Type
Portfolio
Process
Gelatin Silver Print
Presentation
Portfolio
Dimensions
Portfolio containing six original 16 × 20 in (40.6 × 50.8 cm) silver gelatin prints. Individual image sizes range from approximately 11⅜ × 16⅞ in to 13 × 17 in.
Recto Markings
Produced in collaboration with Yoko Ono in 1990, Love is Real was conceived as a complete archival portfolio rather than as individual photographs. Bringing together six original silver gelatin prints spanning eight years of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's life together, it offers an intimate narrative ranging from private domestic moments to rehearsals, performances and portraits from their final years in New York. Offered here as Set No. 3, preserved in its original presentation portfolio.

Portfolio Contents

Against the Wall — Record Plant, New York City (1980)
Home T-Shirt — St. Moritz Hotel, New York City (1972)
Rowboat — Greenwich, Connecticut (1973)
Love — Fillmore East, New York City (1972)
John on Knees & Yoko Singing — Butterfly Studio, New York City (1972)
44th Street — New York City (1980)
Provenance

Bob Gruen Archive.

Authenticity
Original
Certificate Included
Yes
Condition
Excellent original condition.

Complete portfolio preserved in its original acid-free presentation portfolio.

All six original 1990 silver gelatin prints remain together exactly as originally issued.

A complete Archive Record, including verso documentation, authentication evidence, provenance details, and condition documentation, is available to qualified collectors upon request.

Bob Gruen
The photographer

Bob Gruen

American photographer whose images of John Lennon, Blondie, The Clash, the Ramones, and New York's downtown music scene helped define the visual history of rock and roll.

View all works by Bob Gruen