The sculpture Non-Violence is also known as “the knotted gun”. It was originally created as a memorial tribute to the legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon, after he was shot and killed outside his home in New York City on December 8, 1980.Initially, the sculpture was placed in the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park, NYC, across the street from where John and Yoko lived. In 1988, the Government of Luxembourg donated a bronze sculpture to the United Nations.It was placed outside the United Nations headquarters in New York and Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General and Nobel Peace Laureate, stated at the 10 year anniversary: “The sculpture Non-Violence has not only endowed the United Nations with a cherished work of art; it has enriched the consciousness of humanity with a powerful symbol that encapsulates, in a few simple curves, the greatest prayer of man; that which asks not for victory, but for peace.” Since the honorable placement at the United Nations, replicas has been placed at more than 30 strategic places around the world.
