
Installation view of Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960–1971, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, May 17–September 7, 2015. © 2015 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Thomas Griesel
Two weeks ago, while the United States was marking its 239th birthday, The Museum of Modern Art was celebrating the 51st birthday of Yoko Ono’s iconic artist’s book Grapefruit (1964), a compendium of her instruction-based artwork. The book holds special significance for the Museum, as it was one of the first works by Ono acquired by MoMA, and it is currently on view in the exhibition Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960–1971. To celebrate the work’s significance, the moma.org homepage greets visitors with a different instruction from Grapefruit every day throughout the exhibition’s run.

Yoko Ono. Grapefruit. 1964. Artist’s book, offset, overall (closed), 5 7∕16 x 5 7∕16 x 1 1∕4″ (13.8 x 13.8 x 3.2 cm). Publisher: Wunternaum Press (the artist), Tokyo. Edition: 500. The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York. © Yoko Ono 2015
Ono’s production of the work was also populist in nature: she made Grapefruit small and pocket-sized so that it could be easily carried, and printed on inexpensive paper to keep the costs low and enable its distribution to a wide and diverse audience. The intention was to create a book that could be incorporated into one’s daily life and serve as a readily available source of creative inspiration, whose instructions could be enacted whenever, wherever, and by anyone.

Still from the documentary film Aru wakamono-tachi (Some young people). 1964. Directed by Chiaki Nagano. Shown: Yoko Ono selling Grapefruit (1964) in Ginza, Tokyo. At right: Anthony Cox. Image courtesy LENONO PHOTO ARCHIVE, New York

Yoko Ono. Tunafish Sandwich Piece. 1964. Published in Grapefruit. 1964. Artist’s book, offset, page, 5 7/16 x 5 7/16″ (13.8 x 13.8 cm). Publisher: Wunternaum Press (the artist), Tokyo. Edition: 500. The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York. © Yoko Ono 2015
The Museum now owns multiple copies of the original Grapefruit imprint, all of which are on view in One Woman Show alongside one of the original typescripts—a typewritten manuscript that preceded the 1964 publication. The curators decided to frame the 151 pages of the typescript and display them in a single, continuous row (see image at top), enabling viewers to engage with each instruction as an individual artwork while also viewing them in relationship to the larger whole—and to the other works in the exhibition that reflect Ono’s desire to encourage her audiences to involve themselves directly with her art. From material objects (Painting to Be Stepped On, 1961), to performances (Cut Piece, 1964), to films (Match Piece or No. 1, 1966), Grapefruit has had a resounding influence on Yoko Ono’s work and continues to resonate with viewers today.

Yoko Ono. Collecting Piece II and Collecting Piece III. 1963. Published in Grapefruit. 1964. Artist’s book, offset, page, 5 7/16 x 5 7/16″ (13.8 x 13.8 cm). Publisher: Wunternaum Press (the artist), Tokyo. Edition: 500. The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York. © Yoko Ono 2015
Editor’s note: a special-edition facsimile of the Museum’s first-edition copy of Grapefruit is currently available at momastore.org.