Japanese Avant-Garde Artist Yayoi Kusama Dies at 97

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.