1950's John Lennon self portrait as Adolf Hitler
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Offered here is an exceptionally rare sketch by John Lennon which originates from his Art School days in the late 1950's, most likely 1956-58. John drew himself in the role of Adolf Hitler giving the famous Nazi salute and added the words "Heil John, Heil John, Heil John, Heil". The page was part of John's ring-binder sketch book and was formerly the property of Cynthia Lennon. The previous owned purchased it - along with several other Lennon items - directly from Cynthia in 1991. They met at the exhibition of the Cynthia Lennon Collection held at Christie's London saleroom that summer, where Cynthia signed a copy of the catalogue for her - this will be included in the sale (see final photo). The Christie's auction featured several other Lennon sketches. Coincidentally this Hitler sketch, along with three others we acquired - weren't accepted into the Christie's sale due to their policy of refusing Nazi-related material. Due to illness and the associated medical costs the owner recently decided to sell the drawings via auction here in the UK. We acquired them directly from the auction and are now offering these unique pieces to the general public.
The sketch is accompanied by an auction house LOA, a handwritten note from the previous owner and a typed manuscript explaining exactly how she met Cynthia and agreed to buy the items from her. Please make sure to read the transcript in it's entirety, it's a fascinating read! This is an extremely desirable piece as it emanates from so early in John's life and gives a wonderful insight into the devious and politically incorrect mind that he would later become famous for. The page itself measures 30 x 21 cm. It's in good condition with a vertical crease running down the left side and a 1.5 cm tear in between the two binder holes. There are also a couple of spots of rust staining which appear to have bled from the old ring binder. Age toning in places. John's sketch itself is in black ink pen. Please take a look at the final image which compares John's self portrait with one he sketched for a 1958 Christmas card he made for Cynthia (it's the image used on the front of the 1991 Christie's catalogue). The similarities are obvious, adding credence to the view that the sketch being sold here originates from the same period.
The sketch is accompanied by an auction house LOA, a handwritten note from the previous owner and a typed manuscript explaining exactly how she met Cynthia and agreed to buy the items from her. Please make sure to read the transcript in it's entirety, it's a fascinating read! This is an extremely desirable piece as it emanates from so early in John's life and gives a wonderful insight into the devious and politically incorrect mind that he would later become famous for. The page itself measures 30 x 21 cm. It's in good condition with a vertical crease running down the left side and a 1.5 cm tear in between the two binder holes. There are also a couple of spots of rust staining which appear to have bled from the old ring binder. Age toning in places. John's sketch itself is in black ink pen. Please take a look at the final image which compares John's self portrait with one he sketched for a 1958 Christmas card he made for Cynthia (it's the image used on the front of the 1991 Christie's catalogue). The similarities are obvious, adding credence to the view that the sketch being sold here originates from the same period.
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