Some 240 rediscovered drawings by John Lennon, created in the 1960s for an animated Beatles music video, are being publicly displayed for the first time at the Liverpool Beatles Museum. The drawings were made in collaboration with artist Stephen Verona and feature lyrics from the Beatles' 1964 hit "I Feel Fine." They were used to produce a short lyric video called "She Said So," described as the first music video. The trove recently surfaced at auction in London, where it was acquired by pop culture memorabilia expert Joseph Robert O'Donnell, who recognized its significance.
The exhibition matters because it reunites a historically important set of artworks that helped pioneer the music video format, blending visual art and pop culture. The original film was screened at international film festivals and New York's Museum of Modern Art, and won several awards including the CINE Golden Eagle. The drawings had been dispersed after a 2000 Christie's sale, making this reunion a rare opportunity for fans and scholars to see Lennon's creative process and the collaborative genesis of a landmark cultural artifact.