Yayoi Kusama Celebrated Japanese Artist Dies at 97

Yayoi Kusama, one of Japan’s most celebrated contemporary artists, has died at the age of 97, her company announced on Thursday.

Kusama died in a Tokyo hospital on August 14. Her death prompted tributes from admirers around the world.

Known as the “Polka Dot Queen”, Kusama built a decades-long career around dots, nets and infinity motifs. She drew inspiration from hallucinations and personal trauma to create colourful and immersive works.

Her company said she remained dedicated to art throughout her life. Kusama continued painting until her final days and explored themes of eternal love and the human soul.

A distinctive artistic journey

Born in 1929, Kusama began creating art at the age of 10. She later described experiencing vivid hallucinations as a child.

According to her autobiography, one such experience began after she saw a red flower pattern on a tablecloth. She said the pattern appeared to spread across the room and cover her body.

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These experiences later influenced her distinctive use of repetitive patterns and dots.

After studying art in Japan, Kusama moved to the United States in the late 1950s. She soon became part of New York’s avant-garde art scene.

Despite facing discrimination as a Japanese woman, she gained recognition for her large-scale paintings and provocative performances during the 1960s.

From New York to global fame

Kusama experimented across several forms of art. She created body-painting performances and public “happenings” featuring her trademark polka dots.

She also launched a fashion line and explored performance art, including establishing what she called the “Church of Self-Obliteration”.

In the 1970s, Kusama returned to Japan. She voluntarily entered a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo and continued living and working there for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, her international reputation continued to grow.

Her pumpkin sculptures, infinity rooms and immersive installations attracted millions of visitors. Some of her works later sold for millions of dollars.

One of her famous pumpkin sculptures stands on Naoshima, an island widely known for its contemporary art institutions.

Hallucinations shaped her art

Kusama’s childhood visions and hallucinations played a central role in developing her artistic language.

Her official website describes how these experiences inspired her early drawings featuring polka dots and nets.

She later developed the concept of “self-obliteration”, which used repetition and the multiplication of simple forms to explore identity and existence.

Her instantly recognisable appearance, including a bright red wig and boldly patterned clothing, also became part of her public image.

Following news of her death, admirers paid tribute on social media. One Japanese user described her work as bold, delicate and beautiful, while recalling the distinctive world she created through her art.

Kusama’s company confirmed that she died in hospital in Tokyo, bringing the life of an artist who transformed personal experiences into globally recognised contemporary art to a close.