Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, renowned for her polka dot patterns and pumpkin sculptures, has died aged 97. Her company announced her passing at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026.
Life and career
Born in 1929 in the small town of Matsumoto, Kusama spent years experiencing hallucinations of flashing lights, which inspired much of her art. In her autobiography, she described seeing a red flower pattern from a tablecloth spread across the ceiling, windows and pillars, covering her body. Her art became a means of sharing these visions with the world.
Her parents did not support her artistic ambitions, with Kusama noting in her autobiography that her conservative family felt ashamed of her work. However, her hometown of Naoshima embraced her, placing her Red Pumpkin sculpture in a central area to greet visitors arriving by ferry.
International recognition
Kusama first showcased her work in New York in the 1960s, where her phallic sculptures and frequent nudity were poorly received. Despite this, her 1965 work 'Infinity Mirror Rooms', which used mirrors and lights to create an illusion of endless space, attracted millions of visitors. Her pumpkin paintings also gained significant popularity.
During this period, Kusama became depressed and agitated when male contemporaries, including Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Lucas Samaras, gained access to prestigious galleries with works 'inspired' by hers. She returned to Japan with poor mental health and voluntarily checked into a psychiatric facility that allowed her to continue creating art.
Later years and legacy
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, her work grew darker as she focused on natural life cycles, but it was well received in Japan. By 1993, she became the first solo artist to represent the country at the Venice Biennale. By 2022, one of her paintings fetched £7.7 million at auction, and Louis Vuitton collaborated with her, placing a large statue of Kusama outside their Paris store in 2023.
In her final days, Kusama continued to paint, exploring themes of "forever love and eternal soul," according to her company's statement. Speaking about her affection for pumpkins, she once said: "Pumpkins speak to me. They embody a sense of stability and gives me peace of mind."
