Yayoi Kusama

Japanese, b. 1929

37k followers

Yayoi Kusama

Bio

Japanese, b. 1929

Followers
37k
Biography

Avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was an influential figure in the postwar New York art scene, staging provocative happenings and exhibiting works such as her “Infinity Nets,” hallucinatory paintings of loops and dots (and physical representations of the idea of infinity). Narcissus Garden, an installation of hundreds of mirrored balls, earned Kusama notoriety at the 1966 Venice Biennale, where she attempted to sell the individual spheres to passersby. Kusama counted Donald Judd and Eva Hesse among her close friends, and is often considered an influence on Andy Warhol and a precursor to Pop art. Since her return to Japan in the 1970s, Kusama's work has continued to appeal to the imagination and the senses, including dizzying walk-in installations, public sculptures, and the "Dots Obsessions" paintings.

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Career Highlights
Learn more about artist insights.
Blue chip status
Blue chip representation
Represented by internationally reputable galleries.
Auction
High auction record
HKD $62m, Sotheby's, 2019
User
Solo show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 11 more
Group
Group show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 19 more
Institution
Collected by a major institution
Tate, and 3 more
Publication
Reviewed by a major art publication
Artforum, and 6 more
Fair
Included in a major biennial
Venice Biennale National Pavilion, and 4 more
Biography

Avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was an influential figure in the postwar New York art scene, staging provocative happenings and exhibiting works such as her “Infinity Nets,” hallucinatory paintings of loops and dots (and physical representations of the idea of infinity). Narcissus Garden, an installation of hundreds of mirrored balls, earned Kusama notoriety at the 1966 Venice Biennale, where she attempted to sell the individual spheres to passersby. Kusama counted Donald Judd and Eva Hesse among her close friends, and is often considered an influence on Andy Warhol and a precursor to Pop art. Since her return to Japan in the 1970s, Kusama's work has continued to appeal to the imagination and the senses, including dizzying walk-in installations, public sculptures, and the "Dots Obsessions" paintings.

Career Highlights
Learn more about artist insights.
Blue chip status
Blue chip representation
Represented by internationally reputable galleries.
Auction
High auction record
HKD $62m, Sotheby's, 2019
User
Solo show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 11 more
Group
Group show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 19 more
Institution
Collected by a major institution
Tate, and 3 more
Publication
Reviewed by a major art publication
Artforum, and 6 more
Fair
Included in a major biennial
Venice Biennale National Pavilion, and 4 more
Shows Featuring Yayoi Kusama
Articles Featuring Yayoi Kusama
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The Most Influential Artists of 2019
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The Most Influential Artists of 2019
Yayoi Kusama’s Radical Work Goes Far beyond Her Infinity Rooms
Nov 7th, 2019
Yayoi Kusama’s Radical Work Goes Far beyond Her Infinity Rooms
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