In the mid-1960s, at the height of Beatles fever, he released two illustrated, well-received books, “In His Own Write” and “A Spaniard in the Works.” His sketches were a visual diary of his life, full of whimsy and pensive reflections, self-portraits and the faces of people, and creatures, real and imagined.
In 1969, he created a series of drawings, “Bag One Portfolio,” as a wedding present to his wife Yoko Ono. The works chronicle their wedding, honeymoon and call for peace. A set of lithograph prints of those drawings, signed by Lennon, will be at the show. (Another set is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art.) In the parlance of music, they are rare tracks. McCartney began painting in earnest in the early 1980s, at the age of 40. He wanted to ensure his colorful landscapes and faces, often abstract, spoke for themselves and did not gain entry to gallery walls because of his celebrity.ĭespite numerous offers, it took him some time to exhibit his first show of more than 70 oil paintings was in 1999.
