YES

Many commentators, and perhaps even band members themselves, used to say that Yoko Ono was the cause of the break-up of The Beatles - nevertheless, to me, it was the other way round: The Beatles were the worst thing that could have happened to her (or at least her art). She remains one of my favourite and seminally most influential artists.

I'm currently wandering around the atmospheric streets of the old city of Cologne where, amongst other metropolitan activities, I've been perusing the numerous and excellent art book stores after yesterday enjoying the magical Angkor Wat exhibition in Bonn. And so, amidst the usual Helmut Newton and Richard Kern photographic books, and the glossy Taschen paperbacks, a veritable gem proudly stood out: YES YOKO ONO by Alexandra Munroe & Jon Hendricks (Japan Society). This beautifully bound 352 page hardback volume (with CD even) is full of so much that has been relatively undocumented for such a long time, so often overshadowed by the Fab Four connection - in fact the other best biographical source has been the extended section in Albert Goldman's John Lennon. The scandalously overlooked films, music, and art she made, particularly in the years leading up to meeting Lennon, are all notable and most worthy of time and investigation, and unlike other 60s work which seem so dated, it still does it.