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John Lennon statue could fetch £100k at auction

Laura Lian Laura Lian stands next to the John Lennon statue whilst holding his arm. Laura Lian
The life-size statue has stood outside St Barnabas Church on Penny Lane since August 2022

A life-size statue of John Lennon displayed on Liverpool's Penny Lane could fetch up to £100,000 at auction.

The bronze sculpture, created by the late artist Laura Lian, has stood outside St Barnabas Church since August 2022. After it is sold it will be replaced by a replica.

Penny Lane was made famous by the Beatles' 1967 song of the same name.

Omega Auctions will offer the statue on 29 September, with an estimate of between £70,000 and £100,000.

Standing almost 6ft (1.8m) tall, the John Lennon Peace Statue depicts the musician leaning against a peace symbol bearing the word "Imagine".

It is cast in bronze with a green patina and mounted on a bronze and steel base.

Artwork on a building which depicts a young Paul McCartney standing on the left holding an acoustic guitar, alongside a young John Lennon seated on the right playing an electric guitar. Words at the bottom read 'PENNY LANE LIVERPOOL'.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney would often meet at the bus terminus near Penny Lane

Dan Muscatelli-Hampson, a director at Omega Auctions, said few modern landmarks associated with the Beatles in Liverpool had become "so instantly recognisable in such a short space of time".

"Thousands of Beatles fans from around the world have stood next to John and had their photograph taken with this statue on Penny Lane," he said.

The statue was installed with the support of the Penny Lane Development Trust, a community organisation based in the area.

Its original stay was intended to last six months, but it has remained at the site.

In December 2022, the sculpture was damaged and its bronze glasses were stolen.

The statue was previously displayed at Glastonbury, Liverpool's St George's Hall, London and Amsterdam.

Geograph/Philip Halling John Lennon statue cast in bronze with a green patina and mounted on a bronze and steel base.Geograph/Philip Halling
The statue will be replaced by a replica, the auction house says

Lian, who died in 2024, said she created the work "to inspire the new generation and to reignite John and Yoko's peace mission".

Penny Lane was immortalised in the Beatles' 1967 single of the same name, released as a double A-side with Strawberry Fields Forever.

Liverpool-born Lennon was a founding member of the band, whose best-known line-up also included Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Sir Ringo Starr.

He was shot dead in New York in 1980, aged 40.

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