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Yayoi Kusama, Japan’s ‘queen of polka dots’, dies at 97

Yayoi Kusama, Japan’s ‘queen of polka dots’, dies at 97

Summary

Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese artist famous for her polka-dot paintings and immersive art installations, died at age 97 from multiple organ failure in Tokyo. She spent many years creating art despite living in a psychiatric hospital and became a global art icon known as the "queen of polka dots."

Key Facts

  • Kusama was born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan.
  • She used polka dots, nets, and infinity motifs inspired by her lifelong hallucinations.
  • Kusama moved to the U.S. in the late 1950s and became part of New York’s avant-garde art scene.
  • She returned to Japan in 1973 and lived in a psychiatric hospital from 1977 until her death.
  • Kusama continued painting daily, working in a studio near the hospital.
  • Her art influenced minimalism, pop art, and performance art.
  • Kusama collaborated with fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and became internationally famous.
  • One of her paintings sold for $10.5 million in 2022, and she received Japan’s Order of Culture in 2016.
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