Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, whose distinctive world of polka dots, pumpkins and immersive installations made her one of the most recognisable figures in contemporary art, has died aged 97.
A statement published on Kusama’s official website said she died on 14 August. No cause of death was disclosed.
Born in Japan, Kusama became known for turning vivid hallucinations and personal experiences into striking works of art. She had described seeing flashing lights, dots and flowers from a young age, experiences that later became central to her artistic style.
At 27, she left Japan for New York, frustrated by what she regarded as the restrictive nature of Japanese society at the time. She soon established herself within the city’s avant-garde art scene through paintings featuring repetitive patterns and distinctive visual motifs.
Kusama’s work eventually expanded beyond painting to include sculpture, writing and large-scale installations. Her fascination with repetition, particularly her signature dots, became a defining feature of a career that spanned decades and attracted audiences around the world.
She was also involved in anti-war activities during the 1960s and was reported to have influenced prominent artists including Andy Warhol. Her career crossed artistic boundaries at a time when New York was emerging as a major centre for experimental and contemporary art.
Kusama was open about her struggles with mental health and the role they played in her creative work. She returned to Japan several years after her time in New York and around 1977 voluntarily entered a psychiatric hospital, where she continued to live for decades.
Despite living at the hospital, Kusama maintained a rigorous artistic routine and travelled each morning to a nearby studio to continue working. Her determination to create remained a constant throughout her later years.
In a 2017 interview, Kusama said she continued to experience hallucinations, describing dots appearing on her clothing, floors, belongings, walls and ceilings.
Rather than simply viewing those experiences as obstacles, Kusama transformed them into a visual language that became synonymous with her name. Her work went on to gain international recognition, turning recurring patterns and seemingly simple dots into a powerful artistic identity.
Her death marks the end of a remarkable career that helped bring Japanese avant-garde art to global audiences and cemented her place as one of the most influential contemporary artists of her generation.
