Yoko Ono to get Golden Lion Award

VENICE, Italy, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Organizers of the Venice (Italy) Biennale say they plan to bestow a Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement to Japanese-born artist Yoko Ono.

U.S. conceptual artist John Baldessari is also slated to be honored with a similar prize at the 53rd International Art Exhibition, known as the Venice Biennale, ANSA said.

''These Golden Lion career awards celebrate two artists whose avant-garde work has opened new possibilities of poetic, conceptual and social expression for artists all over the world,'' said the exhibition's director, Daniel Birnbaum. ''Yoko Ono and John Baldessari have given form to our comprehension of art and its relationship with the world we live in. Their work has revolutionized the language of art and will remain a source of inspiration for generations to come.''

The awards are to be handed out during the opening of this year's Biennale June 6. The event is scheduled to run until Nov. 22, ANSA said.