Photo by Yayoi Kusama
Kusama passed away on August 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, but news of her death did not become public until August 27, according to Reuters. The cause of death has not been disclosed. The artist continued to paint until her final days, according to a statement from her museum and foundation.
Kusama gained worldwide fame for her works covered in endless rows of dots, her pumpkin sculptures, and her famous “Infinite Mirror Rooms,” where reflections create the illusion of endless space.
The artist herself linked her creative work to the hallucinations she began experiencing as a child. She spoke of flashes of light, dots, and colors filling the space around her. “I still see these hallucinations,” Kusama told reporters in 2017, explaining that she channels these images into her work.
From New York to Worldwide Fame
Kusama was born on March 22, 1929, in the Japanese city of Matsumoto. Her childhood was marked by family conflicts and intense fear. Later, the artist said that it was art that helped her cope with suicidal thoughts.
In 1957, she moved to New York and soon became a prominent figure in the avant-garde scene. Kusama created paintings featuring repetitive mesh patterns, soft sculptures, and staged provocative performances. Her experiments influenced the development of the American avant-garde and were linked, in particular, to the work of Andy Warhol.
In 1966, Kusama appeared at the Venice Biennale with “Garden of Narcissus”—a composition of mirrored spheres. She sold them to visitors for $2, calling the installation “Your Narcissism for Sale.”
In 1973, the artist returned to Japan, and in 1977, she voluntarily admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo. Even so, she continued to work daily in a nearby studio.
Later, her work became a global cultural phenomenon. Kusama’s works regularly sold for millions of dollars: in 2022, her 1959 painting “Untitled (Nets)” sold at auction for $10.5 million.
Kusama has received numerous awards, including the Order of Culture of Japan and the French Order of Arts and Letters. Her art, rooted in repetition, infinity, and personal experience, has made her one of the most recognizable figures in the world of contemporary art.
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