art
Yayoi Kusama: Japanese avant-garde artist dies aged 97
Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who became famous later in life for her work in sculptures and installations, has died aged 97, her company has confirmed.
TL;DR
- Yayoi Kusama, a pioneering avant-garde artist, died at the age of 97.
- Her career spanned visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry.
- Kusama was known for her bright-red wig, polka-dot ensembles, and voluntarily living in a psychiatric hospital.
- She continued painting until her final days, exploring themes of love and the soul.
- Kusama gained international recognition in her 80s and 90s after being overlooked for decades.
- Her "Infinity Mirror Rooms" (1965) and later polka-dot and pumpkin works became highly sought-after.
- She was Japan's first solo artist to represent the country at the 1993 Venice Biennale.
- One of her paintings sold for approximately $10.5 million in 2022.
- Social media significantly fueled interest in her work in recent years.
- Pumpkins were an iconic motif, representing comfort and nostalgia for Kusama.