Yayoi Kusama, the globally celebrated Japanese avant-garde artist whose polka dots and infinity mirror rooms captivated millions, has died at the age of 97.
Her company announced on Thursday that she passed away in a Tokyo hospital on August 14 from multiple organ failure. The statement noted that Kusama continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush.
Kusama rose to international fame for works that blurred the boundaries between art, performance, and self-expression. Born in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1929, she began experiencing hallucinations as a child, finding solace in drawing the dots and nets that would become her signature style.
She moved to New York in the late 1950s, where she made her mark on the avant-garde scene. While often overlooked for decades, her career was redefined later in life. She became the first Japanese solo artist to represent the country at the Venice Biennale in 1993. Her popularity only grew, fueled by social media, turning her installations into must-see attractions worldwide.
Her works fetched some of the highest prices for a female artist, with one painting selling for over $10 million. Kusama had voluntarily lived in a psychiatric hospital for decades, continuing to create art from her nearby studio until her final days.
