A pair of sunglasses worn by John Lennon sold for $183,500 (€165,000) at an auction in London on Friday, the news agency AFP reported.

The Beatles legend left the green-tinted shades on the back seat of a car over 50 years ago.

Alan Herring, the chauffeur for The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr and bandmate George Harrison, came across the spectacles on the back seat after picking up Lennon, along with the other two members of the Fab Four.

"In the summer of 1968, I had picked John up with Ringo and George in Ringo's Mercedes and driven the boys into the office," Herring recalled in a statement released by the Sotheby's auction house. "When John got out of the car I noticed that he'd left these sunglasses on the back seat and one lens and one arm had become disconnected. I asked John if he'd like me to get them fixed for him. He told me not to worry they were just for the look!"

Herring said he never did get them fixed. The specs were bought by an unnamed bidder during an online auction that also included other collector's items from The Beatles, including a necklace with cowbells worn by guitarist George Harrison, which sold for $13,300 (€12,000).

"For my family's sake it makes sense for me to say goodbye to my collection now while I can still tell all the stories behind everything," Herring concluded.

In 1980, at the age of 40, Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment building by Mark Chapman.

Yoko Ono: art and protest The Yoko Ono myth The Japanese-American conceptual artist was at some point considered "the most hated woman in America," since she was believed to have contributed to the break-up of the Beatles. Public appreciation of Ono's work has evolved over time. John Lennon's widow has not only preserved his legacy, she has also pursued her own innovative artistic career over the decades.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Rocking the avant-garde In 1956, Ono married Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, apparently against her parents' will. The couple stirred up New York's avant-garde scene until the musician decided to return to Tokyo. Yoko Ono followed him, but their relationship was already over; she was suffering from depression. She then met producer Anthony Cox in 1961.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Without her daughter Cox supported the young artist financially and later became Ono's second husband. They had a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, in 1963. However, after she met John Lennon at an art show, she left the child with Cox, who vanished with Kyoko, joining a sect and living in hiding for years. Ono only got to see her daughter again in 1994.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Invisible halves "Half-A-Room" is the name of a 1967 art installation. The work shows various objects of a bedroom cut in half and painted in white. Inspired by the increasingly estranged relationship she had with Cox, the artwork deals with the loss of one's integral identity. Ono's work often features empty spaces, inviting the viewer to complete them.

Yoko Ono: art and protest The bad apple In 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney held apples at the premiere of the film "Yellow Submarine," symbolizing their newly formed company, Apple Corps. Fans saw the woman at Lennon's side as the apple that spoiled the Beatles' barrel. She started getting involved in the band's production process, showing up in the studio, which irritated the other Beatles. Many blamed her for the band's break-up.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Give Peace a Chance John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married in 1969 and they used their honeymoon to protest against wars, holding two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace, one at an Amsterdam hotel and the other in Montreal. That's also where they recorded their most famous anti-war song, "Give Peace a Chance." As a protest, it was ineffectual, but the events remain a memorable demonstration of how Lennon was influenced by Ono.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Life is art Yoko Ono doesn't separate art from the rest of her life. The cover of her album "Season of Glass" offers a good demonstration of this. It shows Lennon's blood-covered glasses on the table of their apartment, with New York's skyline in the background. Released six months after Lennon's death, the work deals with Ono's grief.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Half-brothers Julian Lennon (left) is the son John had with his first wife, Cynthia. Yoko always tried to keep him out the picture. She also had a son with John. Sean Lennon (right) was 5 years old when his father was murdered in December 1980. The two Lennon boys both became musicians.

Yoko Ono: art and protest Power and peace The artist born in 1933 will forever remain "the widow of John Lennon" in the public eye. She now presents her most extensive exhibition of works in a show titled "Peace is Power," held at Leipzig's MdbK museum from April 4 to July 7. Author: Torsten Landsberg (eg)



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