Renowned Artist Yayoi Kusama Passes Away at 97

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, celebrated for her vivid polka dot sculptures and mesmerizing “Infinity Rooms,” has passed away at the age of 97. Her representative, David Zwirner, announced that Kusama died from “multiple organ failure” at a Tokyo hospital on August 14.

Kusama’s art expressed her unique obsessions. She was known for repetitive brushstrokes on dotted canvases, which she termed infinity net paintings, and her signature giant polka-dotted pumpkins. Kusama also created enclosed rooms with mirrored walls and lights that seemed endless, as well as fluorescent paintings and sculptures. To her, art was a survival mechanism, and for viewers, a reflection of their place in the universe. She once wrote, “Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos.”

Kusama grew up in Matsumoto, Japan, in a family that ran a seed nursery. As a child during World War II, she worked in a parachute factory. Throughout her life, she experienced hallucinations and used art to cope, despite her mother’s disapproval. After discovering a book by Georgia O’Keeffe, she reached out to the artist, seeking guidance. O’Keeffe responded, advising Kusama to showcase her art in the U.S.

In the late 1950s, Kusama moved to New York, thriving in the avant-garde art scene. During the Vietnam War, she organized public “happenings,” painting polka dots on nude protestors and writing to President Richard Nixon, urging him to end the war. Her art, including ‘Infinity Rooms’ with vibrant lights and Beatles soundtracks, fascinated audiences.

Despite her artistic impact, Kusama faced challenges as a female artist in a male-dominated field. Curator Mika Yoshitake noted the difficulty of gaining recognition. Kusama wore kimonos, embracing and challenging the exoticized perceptions of her.

Financial hardships and ongoing hallucinations persisted. In the early 1970s, Kusama returned to Japan, residing in a psychiatric institution for the remainder of her life. Despite these challenges, her work gained widespread acclaim, with exhibitions in prominent museums like the Hirshhorn and the Tate. In 2017, the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in Tokyo.

Kusama remained dedicated to creating art, working in a studio near her hospital residence. Her designs appeared on various products, including cellphone cases and cosmetics. To Kusama, art was essential. She expressed in her autobiography, “If, a hundred years from now, someone were to see my art and think ‘Kusama did some really good work,’ I would be satisfied. Art, for me, is a creed.”