TOKYO (AP) — Yayoi Kusama, the celebrated Japanese artist known for her iconic polka dot creations spanning paintings, sculptures, and immersive installations worldwide, has passed away at the age of 97. Her studio confirmed that she died on August 14 at a hospital in Tokyo.
Kusama's studio released a statement highlighting her unwavering dedication to art, noting she continued to paint until her final days. The statement expressed, "We will carry forward Kusama's wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world." Throughout her career, Kusama became one of Japan's most revered contemporary artists, with exhibitions in prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Her works were characterized by repetitive motifs, often featuring dots, which transformed her canvases and installations into vibrant displays. In a 2012 interview, Kusama expressed her fondness for polka dots, saying, "Polka dots are fabulous." She emphasized her ambition to create countless artworks, asserting, "I will keep painting until I die."
From a young age, Kusama experienced hallucinations that influenced her perception of the world and her art, which she described as being covered with spots. Despite facing years in psychiatric institutions, she ventured to New York in 1957, where she became one of the first Japanese women to pursue her artistic career in the United States. While her manner was often soft-spoken and shy, she boldly declared her vision, consistently adhering to her signature style and making her art widely accessible.
In her later years, as her work gained international recognition, she collaborated with fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton, and launched various licensed products featuring her illustrations. Kusama's art garnered considerable attention at auctions, with one piece selling for $5.8 million at Christie's in 2008. In 2016, she received Japan's esteemed Order of Culture award, stating that she was more determined than ever to pursue her art, emphasizing that her sincerity and devotion to art were crucial to her legacy.
Kusama was often classified as pop, avant-garde, or feminist, yet she felt these labels did not fully encapsulate her art. Raised in a middle-class family that pressured her to conform to traditional roles, she sought independence and chose to move to America. Upon her arrival in New York, she encountered the prevailing trend of action painting, characterized by chaotic dribbles and smears, quite different from her trademark dots. Despite experiencing poverty and obscurity for years, she remained steadfast in her artistic vision.
Throughout her career, Kusama staged provocative performances that garnered media attention, including the use of polka dot-covered costumes and applying circles of paper on individuals. She formed friendships with renowned artists like Andy Warhol and Georgia O'Keeffe, who recognized her innovative contributions to art. Her body of work includes notable pieces such as "Macaroni Girl," which reflects her fears surrounding food, and "Mirrored Corridor," an illusionary installation presenting a field of phallic forms covered with dots.
Kusama, who also ventured into filmmaking and authored several novels, expressed uncertainty about the origins of her ideas, noting that she often surprised herself when she picked up her brush. "I think, 'Oh, I drew that?'" she remarked. Despite the acclaim surrounding her work, she displayed a unique combination of vulnerability and defiance, labeling herself "an artistic revolutionary" while also admitting her pervasive fears.
As an artist who continually pushed boundaries and embraced her distinctive vision, Yayoi Kusama leaves behind a profound legacy that challenges perceptions and inspires creativity globally.
