Yayoi Kusama, Icon of Polka Dots and Infinity Rooms, Dies at 97
Celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her polka dots and Infinity Mirror Rooms, has died at 97 in Tokyo.
Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist whose polka-dot paintings and immersive 'Infinity Mirror Rooms' made her a global phenomenon, has died. She was 97. A statement on her official website confirmed that she passed away at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14.
Kusama's career was defined by large-scale installations that used mirrors, lights, and repeating patterns to create the illusion of endless space. Her distinctive pumpkin sculptures and dot-covered canvases became some of the most recognizable works in contemporary art, fetching millions at auction.
Her path to fame was marked by personal hardship. Born in 1929, she experienced a difficult childhood and began seeing vivid hallucinations at a young age, with the dot patterns she perceived becoming a signature of her style. During World War II, she worked in a military factory sewing parachutes.
After studying traditional Japanese painting in Kyoto, Kusama moved toward abstraction, developing her 'Infinity Nets' series. Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe, she relocated to the United States in the late 1950s, settling in New York. There, she became part of the avant-garde, staging 'happenings' that turned bodies into canvases and using her art to address issues like gender equality and anti-war movements.
Despite friendships with artists like Andy Warhol, Kusama remained outside the mainstream art establishment for years. She returned to Japan in the early 1970s and later voluntarily lived in a psychiatric hospital, where she continued to create. Her work saw a resurgence in the late 1980s, and she represented Japan at the Venice Biennale in 1993.
In her later years, Kusama's legacy grew enormously. In 2022, her painting 'Untitled (Nets)' sold for nearly USD 10.5 million, setting an auction record. Her 2023 auction sales totaled around USD 190.5 million. A museum dedicated to her work opened in Tokyo in 2017, and her collaborations with Louis Vuitton brought her art to a wider audience.
Tributes have poured in from the art world. Curator Alexandra Munroe noted that Kusama's stories changed how avant-garde art history is understood, while gallery owner David Zwirner called her "the most famous living artist in the world" at the time of her passing.