Yoko Ono: An Artful Life

In Brackett’s (Tumult!: The Incredible Life of Tina Turner) biography of artist Yoko Ono, one of the most interesting insights he shares is how many of Ono’s present-day fans, followers, and remixers are only vaguely aware—if at all—that she used to be notorious for having broken up the Beatles. But “used to be” is the appropriate phrasing, as discoverers of Ono’s work are more likely these days to come to it via a club remix of her music, an art museum retrospective (like the 2015 MoMA exhibition Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960–1971), or even Twitter. Art and music critic Brackett is well suited to his subject. His discussions of Ono’s musical, visual, and conceptual art and their philosophical, aesthetic, and cultural foundations are the most intriguing parts of the book. Of course, there’s no avoiding Ono’s tragically abbreviated relationship with John Lennon, and Brackett doesn’t try. Rather, he situates it within the continuum of Ono’s life, presenting the relationship as a creative as well as romantic partnership.