Japanese Avant-Garde Artist Yayoi Kusama Dies at 97
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama died at 97 in Tokyo on August 14. She continued painting until her death and was known for her signature infinity rooms and polka-dot motifs. Kusama gained international fame later in life, with major exhibitions including a large retrospective in Tel Aviv in 2021-2022.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Yayoi Kusama died at age 97 on August 14 in Tokyo, cause undisclosed.
- She continued painting daily until her death, never putting down her brush.
- Kusama left Japan at 27 to join the New York avant-garde scene and influenced artists like Andy Warhol.
- She lived in a Tokyo psychiatric hospital for nearly 50 years while continuing to create art.
- Her psychedelic works and infinity rooms made her a global cultural icon and social media figure.
- Her 2021-2022 Tel Aviv Museum retrospective drew hundreds of thousands and featured 200 works including infinity rooms.
Yayoi Kusama, the renowned Japanese avant-garde artist, passed away on August 14 at the age of 97, her studio team announced on Thursday. Kusama had recently been hospitalized in Tokyo, though the cause of death was not disclosed. Despite her advanced age, Kusama continued to paint until her final days, famously never putting down her brush.
Born in 1929, Kusama rose to prominence in her twenties as a unique figure in Japan's art scene. She began painting as a child, inspired by hallucinations of flashing lights, dots, and flowers, which she transformed into a distinctive artistic language featuring repetitive patterns, nets, dots, pumpkins, and infinity rooms, her signature motifs. At 27, she left Japan for the United States, seeking freedom from conservative societal constraints. In New York, she became a leading figure in the avant-garde community, producing bold paintings, sculptures, and performances, engaging in anti-Vietnam War activism, and influencing artists like Andy Warhol.
Returning to Japan in the 1970s, Kusama voluntarily admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo, where she lived for nearly five decades. She maintained a daily routine of working in a nearby studio, continuing to create art. In 2017, she described still experiencing hallucinations of dots everywhere, which she painted.
Although recognized as a pioneering artist since the 1960s, Kusama achieved global fame later in life. Her psychedelic colors, infinity rooms, and iconic public image with red bangs and polka-dot clothing made her a cultural icon and a social media sensation. Her works have been exhibited in major museums worldwide, including a significant retrospective at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2021-2022. This exhibition, the first major Kusama show in Israel, attracted hundreds of thousands and featured around 200 works spanning eight decades, including four infinity rooms, one created specifically for the event and retained on display after the exhibition ended.
Mentioned
