Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama

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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's 'Infinite Accumulation' Sculpture Swirls in London
Art

Yayoi Kusama's 'Infinite Accumulation' Sculpture Swirls in London

A public commission to celebrate the new Elizabeth Line.

WNDR Museum Unveils New Atrium with Yayoi Kusama Installation
Art

WNDR Museum Unveils New Atrium with Yayoi Kusama Installation

Reimagining the artist’s largest infinity room to date.

Yayoi Kusama to Present First UK Public Installation This Summer
Art

Yayoi Kusama to Present First UK Public Installation This Summer

Coinciding with a new exhibition at Victoria Miro and sculpture at Serpentine Galleries.

Previously Unseen Painting by Yayoi Kusama Hits Bonhams Auction
Art

Previously Unseen Painting by Yayoi Kusama Hits Bonhams Auction

The artwork is expected to fetch roughly $5.1m USD.

Leaked File Shows the Thousands of Artists Midjourney Has Allegedly Used to Train Its AI Models
Art

Leaked File Shows the Thousands of Artists Midjourney Has Allegedly Used to Train Its AI Models

Names include Yayoi Kusama, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, and even a six-year-old child.

Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama Return With New Fashion Book 'Creating Infinity'
Fashion

Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama Return With New Fashion Book 'Creating Infinity'

Celebrating their revolutionary partnership, with written contributions from Marc Jacobs, Jo-Ann Furniss, Hans Ulrich Obrist and several others.

Brazil’s Instituto Inhotim Has Opened a New Permanent Gallery Devoted to Yayoi Kusama
Art

Brazil’s Instituto Inhotim Has Opened a New Permanent Gallery Devoted to Yayoi Kusama

The space includes a lush exterior designed by architects Fernando Macula and Maria Paz.

UPDATE: Man Arrested in Connection to Destroying Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venus of the Rags'
Art

UPDATE: Man Arrested in Connection to Destroying Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venus of the Rags'

City officials in Naples are looking to crowdfund to rebuild the installation.

Yayoi Kusama's Inflatable Works Land in Manchester's 'You, Me and the Balloons' Exhibition
Art 

Yayoi Kusama's Inflatable Works Land in Manchester's 'You, Me and the Balloons' Exhibition

Bringing Kusama’s most remarkable pieces spanning the past three decades.

Yayoi Kusama's Spotted Pumpkins Land In New York City for Biggest Exhibition to Date
Art

Yayoi Kusama's Spotted Pumpkins Land In New York City for Biggest Exhibition to Date

Open now at West 19th Street.

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