Yayoi Kusama, Visionary of Dots and Infinity, Dies at 97
Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her dot-covered works and infinity mirror rooms, has died at 97.
Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese avant-garde artist whose hallucinatory visions became a global artistic language of dots, pumpkins, and mirrored infinity, has died. She was 97. The Yayoi Kusama Museum confirmed her death in a hospital on August 14, stating that she continued to paint until her final days. No cause of death was provided.
Kusama, instantly recognizable in her later years by her scarlet bob wig, was candid about her lifelong mental health struggles. From childhood, she experienced vivid hallucinations of flashing lights, dots, and flowers. In a 2017 press conference, she described the persistent nature of these visions: "Dots come flying everywhere — on my dress, the floor, things I'm carrying, throughout the house, the ceiling. And I paint them."
Her artistic output was as prolific as it was commercially successful, a rarity for a female artist of her generation. Her international exhibitions drew massive crowds, and her works frequently fetched over $1 million at auction. One painting, Untitled (Nets) from 1959, sold for $10.5 million in 2022.
Among her most iconic creations is the Infinity Mirror Room series. One notable piece, Narcissus Garden, consists of 1,000 to 1,500 mirrored spheres. She first presented it at the 1966 Venice Biennale, dressed in a gold kimono and attempting to sell the spheres for about $2 each, with a sign reading "Your Narcissism For Sale."
Born in Matsumoto City in 1929, Kusama's childhood was marked by family turmoil. She credited art with saving her life, stating in a 2014 interview that drawing and making art kept her from ending her life. After studying traditional Japanese painting in Kyoto, she moved to New York in 1957, where she gained renown for her net paintings, soft sculptures, and anti-war happenings. She is often cited as an influence on Andy Warhol.
Her mental health declined, and she returned to Japan in 1973. Four years later, she voluntarily entered a psychiatric hospital, where she lived for the rest of her life, commuting daily to her nearby studio. Kusama received numerous honors, including Japan's Order of Culture and France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.