Secret legacy: Genesis Publications presents a vast Yoko Ono monograph
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Yoko Ono has never shirked from the utopian potential of art. The octogenarian artist has been a vital force in conceptual art since her very first works in the late 1950s and 60s, although her subsequent trajectory into global celebrity overshadowed the importance and legacy of her work. In the decades that followed, she brought conceptual art to new audiences – an occasionally difficult path for an artist whose carefully considered approach has always prized the ephemeral, transient role of ideas and dreams.
Infinite Universe at Dawn (opens in new tab) brings together a vast array of archival material spanning Ono's entire career; 1,500 copies will bear her signature too, as limited editions of the tome. Prepared and assembled by the artist together with Genesis Publications, the slip-cased 400-page volume includes lyrics, essays, interviews and statements, backed up with extensive unseen photographs and 45 tipped-in pieces of artwork and reproductions. It's impossible to separate Ono's oeuvre from her public image, although the sheer longevity of her career and quiet dedication and consistency has gone a long way to diluting the casual and insidious misogyny she has faced since her marriage to John Lennon in 1969.
The book is a celebration of Ono's considerable influence on the artistic landscape, presenting a body of work that not only spans a vast array of genres – from music to photography, poetry, installations, publications, activism and sculptures – but also draws a straight line from the 1960s to the modern era, a time of massive social and political upheaval. If nothing else, Ono's work offers an occasionally grubby mirror to society's collective cynicism. At a time when the utopian dreams of the counter-culture have never felt more vital or more distant, Infinite Universe is a refreshingly optimistic salve.
Ono has been a vital force in conceptual art since her very first works in the late 1950s and 60s, although her subsequent trajectory into global celebrity overshadowed the importance and legacy of her work. Pictured: Acorn Event, by Yoko Ono and John Lennon, 1968., copyright Yoko Ono
This slip-cased 400-page volume includes lyrics, essays, interviews and statements, backed up with extensive unseen photographs and 45 tipped-in pieces of artwork and reproductions. Pictured: Balance Piece, by Yoko Ono, 2010. courtesy Yoko Ono
The sheer longevity and consistency of Ono's career has gone a long way to diluting the casual and insidious misogyny she has faced since her marriage to John Lennon in 1969. Pictured: Bed-In for Peace, by Yoko Ono and John Lennon, 1969
The book is a celebration of Ono's considerable influence on the artistic landscape, presenting a body of work that not only spans a vast array of genres... Pictured: Imagine, by Yoko Ono, 1971 (playing Yoko’s artwork White Chess Set, 1966).
... But it also draws a straight line from the 1960s to the modern era, a time of massive social and political upheaval. Pictured left: Air Dispenser, by Yoko Ono, 1971. copyright Yoko Ono. Pictured right: Apple, by Yoko Ono, 1966. copyright Yoko Ono
Ono's work offers an occasionally grubby mirror to society's collective cynicism. Pictured: an example of the book's tipped-in imagery
At a time when the utopian dreams of the counter-culture have never felt more vital or more distant, Infinite Universe is a refreshingly optimistic salve
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Fforme is the fashion label uniting European refinement with American ease
Ahead of Fforme’s presentation at New York Fashion Week on 10 February, creative director Paul Helbers, previously of The Row, tells the story behind its less-is-more approach
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
Sustainable architecture: innovative and inspiring building design
This is sustainable architecture at its best: from amazing abodes to centres of care and hard-working offices, these buildings not only look good but also do good
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Out of this world beauty: the rise of skincare for space travel
Space tourism has prompted the development of skincare for space, with brands such as 111Skin creating products that respond to the cosmetic damage caused by life at microgravity
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Best contemporary art books: a guide for 2023
From maverick memoirs to topical tomes, turn over a new leaf with the Wallpaper* arts desk’s pick of new releases and all-time favourite art books
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining: new book charts the making of a horror icon
Published in February 2023 by Taschen, a new collector's book will go behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, charting the unseen making of a film that defined the horror genre
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
The best photography books for your coffee table
Flick through, mull over and deep-dive into the best photography books on the market, from our shelves to you this Christmas 2022
By Sophie Gladstone • Published
-
New photo book chronicles the messy, magical mundanity of new motherhood
Sorry I Gave Birth I Disappeared But Now I’m Back by photographer Andi Galdi Vinko explores new motherhood in all its messy, beautiful reality
By Hannah Silver • Last updated
-
Brad Walls’ aerial view transforms pools into artwork
Aerial photographer Brad Walls provides a crisp conclusion to the summer months with new book Pools From Above – you’ll want to dive right in
By Martha Elliott • Last updated
-
K-style: understanding the rise of Korea’s creative golden age
Spanning music, fashion, design and food, a new book, Make Break Remix explores the global rise and rise of Korean culture
By SuhYoung Yun • Last updated
-
‘Punk ballerina’ Karole Armitage debuts a genre-bending show in New York
Karole Armitage, the choreographer behind Madonna’s Vogue video and Marc Jacobs’ A/W 2021 show, debuts A Pandemic Notebook at New York Live Arts
By Mary Cleary • Last updated
-
Forty years of the Barbican Centre: an art utopia made concrete
Building Utopia: The Barbican Centre, published to coincide with the institution’s 40th anniversary, explores the birth of the Barbican, its storied history and its unparalleled impact on contemporary arts and culture
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated