Yoko Ono, Music of the Mind at The Broad in Los Angeles
Published on 08/20/2026 at 17:24 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Yoko Ono frames the summer program at The Broad in Los Angeles with the large-scale retrospective Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind. As The Broad details, the exhibition runs from May 23 to October 11, 2026 and marks Ono's first solo museum show in Southern California. The Broad exhibition page
Yoko Ono at The Broad this summer
The Broad presents Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind as a special exhibition in its downtown Los Angeles building, tracing more than seven decades of Ono's work from the 1950s to recent years. The show, organized with Tate Modern, focuses on instruction pieces, participatory installations and peace campaigns.
Visitors encounter text-based works, films, music, photography and large-scale installations that invite direct action, such as tying wishes to trees or hammering nails into a panel. Every Thursday evening from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM the museum offers free admission to the exhibition, positioning Ono's practice at the center of its public program.
The exhibition context and concert program
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind at The Broad forms part of a multi-venue retrospective that began at Tate Modern in London and then traveled to Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf and MCA Chicago. In Los Angeles, the museum extends the project with a summer concert series and outdoor events linked to the show.
A highlight is the concert evening Yoko Only on August 8, 2026 at The Broad's East West Bank Plaza, curated by musician Yuka Honda and featuring Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney, Sylvan Esso and others performing Ono's music. This performance positions her sound work in dialogue with contemporary independent and experimental musicians and underscores the exhibition's emphasis on music as part of the visual art framework.
All news and background on Yoko Ono
For further coverage of Yoko Ono's exhibitions, market results and museum projects, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers additional reports and context.
The work core and artistic approach
Yoko Ono's practice spans performance, conceptual text, sound, participatory installation and film, often executed with minimal materials but high discursive density. Works like the instruction-piece book Grapefruit, the performance Cut Piece and the interactive sculpture Wish Tree frame her approach as a call for audience activation.
Her long-running peace initiatives, including billboard campaigns and the ongoing Imagine Peace project, connect artistic gestures with political and social advocacy. At The Broad, the selection of more than 200 works underscores how this consistent orientation toward participation and peace shapes her position in the canon of postwar avant-garde and conceptual art.
Where Yoko Ono stands now
Against this backdrop, Yoko Ono holds a prominent position with Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind on view at The Broad in Los Angeles from May 23 to October 11, 2026, forming a major institutional anchor for her work this year.
Key facts on Yoko Ono
- Artist: Yoko Ono
- Medium / Genre: Conceptual art, performance, installation, sound and film
- Born: 1933, Tokyo, Japan
- Place(s) of practice: Studio activity between New York and international exhibition venues
- Active since: late 1950s, with early performance and event scores in New York and Tokyo
- Key work groups: Grapefruit, Cut Piece, Instruction Pieces, Wish Tree
- Current/last exhibition: Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, The Broad, Los Angeles, May 23–October 11, 2026
- Major collections: Museum of Modern Art (New York), Tate (London), Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Düsseldorf)
- Awards: Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Venice Biennale (2009) and multiple honors recognizing her conceptual and peace-oriented practice
- Next date: Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind at The Broad, Los Angeles, on view through October 11, 2026
Frequently asked questions about Yoko Ono
Where can I see Yoko Ono's work in person in August 2026?
In August 2026, Yoko Ono's retrospective Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind is on view at The Broad in Los Angeles, presenting more than 200 works and participatory installations.
What does the exhibition title Music of the Mind refer to?
The title echoes Ono's notion that her works function as scores realized in the viewer's imagination, connecting early event instructions with later installations and sound pieces.
How extensive is the current retrospective across institutions?
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind has appeared at Tate Modern, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Gropius Bau, MCA Chicago and now The Broad, each time presenting over 200 works from seven decades.
Does the Los Angeles exhibition include performance and music elements?
Yes, The Broad integrates performances and the Yoko Only concert into the exhibition program, with musicians interpreting Ono's compositions and Plastic Ono Band works.
Why is this exhibition significant for Yoko Ono's career?
It marks her first solo museum show in Southern California and consolidates her position as a central figure in conceptual and participatory art, supported by major institutions on both sides of the Atlantic.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
