Yayoi Kusama, the legendary Japanese avant-garde artist whose signature polka dots, pumpkin sculptures, and immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms brought her visions to life, has passed away at 97. Known for her striking red bob and her openness about her lifelong battles with severe mental health issues, Kusama drew directly from her childhood hallucinations of floating patterns and lights to fuel her art. According to the Yayoi Kusama Museum, she passed away in a hospital on August 14, actively painting until her final days.

Achieving rare commercial and critical acclaim for a female artist, Kusama saw her works fetch millions at auction—such as her 1959 piece Untitled (Nets), which sold for $10.5 million in 2022—while her exhibitions drew massive global crowds. Her landmark 1966 Venice Biennale installation, Narcissus Garden, featured over 1,000 reflective spheres sold directly to visitors, cementing her status as a provocative force in modern art.

Born in Matsumoto City in 1929, Kusama credited art with saving her life during a traumatic childhood. She moved to New York in 1957, quickly becoming a central figure in the avant-garde movement through her net paintings, soft sculptures, and anti-war performance art, influencing contemporaries like Andy Warhol. Returning to Japan in 1973 amid declining mental health, she chose to live in a psychiatric facility from 1977 onward, commuting daily to her nearby studio. Her decades of groundbreaking work earned her top international honors, including Japan’s Order of Culture and France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

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