John
Lennon, the first man inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame as a
solo artist and member of a group, enjoys a legacy far beyond the global
reach of his music, though.
His own commitment to peaceful co-existence and his messages of peace, love, and understanding, as manifest through his graphic art, embodied this original Renaissance man.
Now, Gartlan USA proudly captures the spirit, and talents, of the man in a series of limited-edition collectibles, including exquisitely sculpted figurines and recreations of his artwork on porcelain collectors' plates. Specifically, the former Beatle is commemorated on a set of limited-edition pewter figurines in two sizes, plus Artist Proofs. A ten-piece series of collectors' plates will feature John's original artwork, colorized and re-produced in this unique media for the very first time.
The
introduction of this series leads off with "Happy Xmas," an airy,
light-hearted look at the spirit of Christmas -- John's focus more on the
winter scenery and non-descript celebrants than any rigid interpretation
of the holiday, per se. The Christmas Plates is offered in two sizes:
An 8 1/8'' plate, limited to a worldwide edition of 10,000 pieces, each retailing for a suggested $35; an unlimited 3 1/8'' plate, that can also be hung as an ornament. Unlimited, it retails for a suggested $17.
Proceeds from the sale of these items benefit John and Yoko's Spirit Foundation. Founded in 1978, the Spirit Foundation is a not-for-profitfoundation that funnels funds to numerous charities, some of which focus on AIDS support services, abused and needy children and the aging.
The figurine program features a nine-inch pose of John sitting atop a wall. The face of the wall features John's self portrait and a photo-etched copy of his actual autograph. Each piece is cast in museum-grade pewter and affixed to a black walnut base. Each is numbered and certificated. Limited to a worldwide edition of just 2,000, this special piece of art retails for a suggested $495. A smaller version of the same pose is offered in an edition of 5,000 pieces and retails for $125. Both sizes include artist proofs -- 250 for the larger version, 1,000 of the smaller figure -- cast in pewter and silver. Pricing for the Artist Proofs has not been announced.
This
is the first time any three-dimensional representation, in any media, using
only John's likeness has been authorized by Yoko Ono and Lennon's estate.
Moreover, Gartlan USA will imbed into the sculptures metal from melted-down
handguns that were confiscated by law enforcement agencies or contributed
as part of volunteer surrender programs throughout the United States.
Additionally,
proceeds -- including all royalties -- from the sale of the figurines directly
benefit hand-gun control charities. "It is not only an exciting honor
to offer this collection," says R. H. Gartlan, president Gartlan USA,
"but by incorporating the handgun metal into the sculptures, we not
only perpetuate John's peace initiative, but enhance its awareness through
our own marketing efforts. We believe this is the first time anything like
this has ever been done. 
"Finding
an alternative home for the metal, while reminding people that such violence
kills thousands needlessly every year, is the least we could do in tribute
to one of the world's great musicians, artists and peace activists"
Gartlan adds. John Lennon was killed by a bullet fired from a handgun December
8, 1980. Gartlan USA has also introduced four of John Lennon's images on
the series of Collector Plates. "Borrowed Time," "Peace Brother,"
"Imagine (All the People)," and "Family Tree" are reproduced
on 8 1/8" and 3 1/8" collectors' plates. ($35 and $17 respectively.)
As promised, we have added four new images to our series of John Lennon Collector plates. As with the first series, these images capture John's commitment to a peaceful co-existence with his message of peace, love and understanding manifested through his graphic art. This project, along with the pewter sculpture, directly benefits several charitable causes. Read more about this project, embellishing John's own peace initiative and graphic arts.
The new artwork features a colorized version of his "Self-Portrait", which we call "Self-Portrait, Too". The other four are entitled: "Looking Back", "Baby Grand", "Why Not?", and "Feeling Good". Like the first edition, these plates will be available in two sizes — 8 1/8" and 31/4".
Keep checking here for Lennon hand-painted inside art glass balls, which we hope to introduce in the near future. We are committed keeping our customers happy and satisfied and welcome any feed-back on our e-mail site — info@gartlanusa.com.
Gartlan
USA is a recognized leader in the sports and entertainment collectibles
industry. Including commemorations of more than 40 Hall of Fame athletes
-- Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, John Wooden, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, and
Kristi Yamaguchi among them -- Gartlan USA's most recent introductions highlight
the life and times of Jerry Garcia, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr and KISS.
