Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama Top 10

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Industries
Founded March 22, 1929
Headquarters Japan

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Description

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese writer and artist. She was born in Japan as the fourth child in a conservative and prosperous family, who made a fortune from seed nurseries. Kusama has been reported to have an obsessive personality, sometimes suicidal and experiencing hallucinations.In 1948 she left home to enter a senior class at Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, where she studied Nihonga painting, graduating the following year. By 1950, Kusama received early success for her work. She would depict natural forms in watercolor and gouache, often using polka dots which became a trademark of her work. The field of polka dots she employed she called “infinity nets,” which she says were taken directly from her hallucinations. After living in Tokyo, Kusama left to the U.S. at age 27, living in new york city and seattle. She was close to American artist Georgia O’keeffe, whom she used as a contact to establish her reputation as a leader in the avant-garde movement. She was very active in the American art scene and was very productive, by 1966 she was experimenting with room-sized canvasses, free standing installations and more. However, Kusama never profited financially from her work, whilst being constantly hospitalized for overwork. Kusama was also an active and vocal protester, often organizing outlandish protests. In 1966, Kusama participated in her first Veenice Biennale. In 1973, Kusama returned to Japan in poor health and began writing short stories and poetry. She checked herself into the Seiwa Hospital for the Mentally Ill, where she still resides by choice. Kusama has received numbers awards and recognitions, such as the Asahi Prize (2001), Ordre des Arts et des Lettres(2003), and the National Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Order of the Rising Sun (2006). In October 2006, Yayoi Kusama became the first Japanese woman to receive the Praemium Imperiale, one of Japan's most prestigious prizes for internationally recognized artists. She also received the Person of Cultural Merit (2009) and the Ango awards (2014).
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Latest Collections

Yayoi Kusama "In Infinity" @ Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
Art

Yayoi Kusama "In Infinity" @ Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark

A psychological abyss.

Yayoi Kusama's "Give Me Love" Exhibit @ David Zwirner New York
Art

Yayoi Kusama's "Give Me Love" Exhibit @ David Zwirner New York

The latest exhibition from the elusive and anomalous Yayoi Kusama is currently showing at David


Yayoi Kusama Named the World's Most Popular Artist
Art

Yayoi Kusama Named the World's Most Popular Artist

The Art newspaper recently announced Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s eccentric “Infinite

Yayoi Kusama: Self Obliteration Short Film by Martín Rietti
Art

Yayoi Kusama: Self Obliteration Short Film by Martín Rietti

With a career defined by exhibitions in the world’s most prestigious institutions, it’s no surprise

Yayoi Kusama "A Dream I Dreamed" Exhibition @ MoCA Shanghai Recap
Art

Yayoi Kusama "A Dream I Dreamed" Exhibition @ MoCA Shanghai Recap

Multi-talented contemporary painter, sculptor and writer Yayoi Kusama is just over halfway through

George Clooney by Yayoi Kusama for W Magazine
Fashion

George Clooney by Yayoi Kusama for W Magazine

Known for her polka-dotted patterns – a motif that was recently echoed through her collaborative

Louis Vuitton: Yayoi Kusama “Her Story #4: 100 Paintings” Video
Fashion

Louis Vuitton: Yayoi Kusama “Her Story #4: 100 Paintings” Video

In celebration of Yayoi Kusama’s collection for Louis Vuitton, the brand has released this video of

Yayoi Kusama Monograph by Rizzoli
Art

Yayoi Kusama Monograph by Rizzoli

Louis Vuitton, in conjunction with Rizzoli, have published a monograph dedicated to Japanese

Louis Vuitton Show the Making of a Giant Yayoi Kusama Statue
Art

Louis Vuitton Show the Making of a Giant Yayoi Kusama Statue

Everyone seems to have become enamored with Louis Vuitton’s latest artist collaborator Yayoi

Louis Vuitton Yayoi Kusama 2nd Collection
Fashion

Louis Vuitton Yayoi Kusama 2nd Collection

Marc Jacobs’ admiration for eccentric Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is well known. A passionate art

Louis Vuitton: Yayoi Kusama "Her Story: Signature Patterns" Video
Fashion

Louis Vuitton: Yayoi Kusama "Her Story: Signature Patterns" Video

Louis Vuitton presents its latest collaborative video alongside renowned Japanese artist Yayoi

LOVE Magazine's Special Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton iPad App
Tech & Gadgets

LOVE Magazine's Special Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton iPad App

Coinciding with the release of the publication’s “A Costume Drama” issue for Fall/Winter 2012, LOVE

 

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