Hallucinations that haunted her in childhood, rebellion against conservative Japan, poverty and loneliness in New York, struggle with the male-dominated art world, and decades spent living in a psychiatric hospital – all became an inseparable part of her work.
Y. Kusama, who became a global art star much later in life, created from the 1960s until 2020. Her huge polka-dotted works, colorful installations, and mirror rooms illustrating infinity became easily recognizable and attracted millions of art lovers worldwide.
“Through an extraordinary life fully devoted to artistic creation, Y. Kusama built an internationally recognized avant-garde art career. Her work encompassed visual art, performance, literature, and poetry,” the statement about the artist’s death said.
“She painted until her last days, never letting go of the brush and continuing to explore themes of eternal love and eternal soul.”
“We will continue Kusama’s wishes and spread hope and strength to people worldwide through art.”
Hallucinations became part of the work
Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan. Her childhood was unhappy. Even as a young girl, she began experiencing hallucinations, which later became an important part of her work.
Y. Kusama resisted conservative upbringing and family plans to marry in an arranged marriage. In 1958, she moved to New York.
There, her appearance in the strongly male art world of the time attracted considerable attention. Y. Kusama began creating the so-called “Infinity Net” painting series and phallic objects and sculptures.
Her work influenced many artists, including Andy Warhol. However, Kusama herself felt great disappointment as her ideas were taken over by others, especially male artists who had far more opportunities to exhibit their works in galleries.
Radical creator unafraid of scandals
Y. Kusama was not only a painter and sculptor. During her career, she organized so-called “body festivals” and happenings, created soft sculptures, and did not shy away from open anti-war and other provocative statements in her work.
In 1966, at the Venice Biennale, she presented “Narcissus Garden” – an installation made of hundreds of shiny metal spheres. The artist sold them for two dollars each and placed a sign next to them saying “Your narcissism for sale.”
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In 1968, Y. Kusama held the first publicly performed homosexual wedding in New York.
Once she even wrote to US President Richard Nixon and offered to sleep with him in exchange for a promise to end the Vietnam War.
Once she even wrote to US President Richard Nixon and offered to sleep with him in exchange for a promise to end the Vietnam War.
In another performance near the United Nations building, she washed the “dirty” Soviet Union flag.
Spent life in a psychiatric hospital
In 1977, Kusama returned to Japan and voluntarily moved into a psychiatric hospital. She lived and worked there until the end of her life.
For many decades, the artist was quite little noticed in the international art world. However, later in life, her work received huge recognition.
Y. Kusama’s works were exhibited in the world’s most important museums, and her polka-dot aesthetic was adopted by fashion and luxury brands. Among them was “Louis Vuitton.”
Her works began breaking records for living female artists at auctions.
In 2016, Y. Kusama was awarded the “Order of Culture” (editor’s note: Japan’s Order of Culture, one of the country’s highest honors for artists).
The artist remained faithful to her work until the end of her life – dots, repeating patterns, infinity, and themes that accompanied her throughout her life.
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