Imagine All the Licensing Payments

The artwork of former Beatle John Lennon--the anti-Establishment prophet who continues to intrigue and inspire his fans even as he has become a commodity--will be exhibited this week at the Fashion Square shopping mall in Sherman Oaks.

First, I thought it was tacky to put his work in a shopping mall, but on second thought, malls are what pass for cultural gathering places around here. (And, after all, some of the images have been licensed for use on a line of Carter’s children’s clothing.)

The highlight of the show, which begins Thursday, is 12 drawings that Lennon created with his son, Sean Lennon, between 1977 and 1980, which were assembled into the book “Real Love” last year.

I spoke with Yoko Ono the other day about the charming drawings, which are in L.A. for the first time. The fanciful images of elephants and giraffes were a way for John to teach Sean the alphabet and the names of animals, she said. And, for her, they bring up a lot of conflicting emotions.

“He had this way of making Sean laugh by saying, ‘This is a kitty cat,’ ” Ono said. “It makes me remember the fun we had, but it was a bittersweet time.”

Sean, now 24, is following in his father’s footsteps as a musician and an artist. “He’s been trying to find his own way of expressing himself,” Ono said. “It’s not easy when John is so famous and his mother did a few things too.”

Asked if she thought John would have objected to having the intimate drawings exhibited in a shopping mall, or to having Lennon’s designs on footsie PJs, Yoko replied, “He would have loved it.”

She said she was extremely upset by the recent incident in London when George Harrison was stabbed in the chest by an intruder in his home. “It was terrible and it affected us all so much. I got the news in the middle of the night and I couldn’t stop shaking. I kept praying he was going to be OK. I didn’t want another tragedy.”

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While I’m on the subject of pop art, Peter Max has joined Target’s stable of designers. The 1960s pop artist has launched a line of gift bags, greeting cards and gift-wrap.

The collection uses Max’s cosmic 1960s style and images from his bright neo-Fauve paintings. Icons such as “Dega Man” and “Umbrella Man” adorn cards, and his heart and angel motifs are available on gift-wrap just in time for Valentine’s Day.

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Here’s a hotel amenity that’s just too L.A.: The Peninsula Beverly Hills is offering guests who use its suites and villas (which range from $1,000 to $3,000 a day) the use of an Audi 2000 for the duration of their stay.

The hotel provides insurance, gas and maintenance for the car. Better to wreck their car than your own, right?

Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.