Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono (born 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, musician, and peace activist whose work has been closely associated with the avant-garde. Raised in Japan and the United States, she became active in New York’s experimental art scene in the early 1960s, creating conceptual and performance pieces that invited audience participation. Her book *Grapefruit* (1964) helped define her “instruction” art. Ono’s 1969 marriage to musician John Lennon brought her wider public attention; together they staged high-profile antiwar actions such as the “Bed-Ins for Peace.” She has continued to release music and exhibit internationally, and she received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale (2009).