Yayoi Kusama, Japan’s ‘polka dot queen’ and avant‑garde trailblazer, dies at 97

TOKYO, Aug 27 — Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known as the “polka dot queen” and an avant-garde pioneer, has passed away at the age of 97, according to her company. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Fans worldwide mourned the loss of the celebrated artist, who dedicated her life to creating art that explored her hallucinations and trauma through vibrant, signature dots, nets, and infinity motifs.

Throughout her extraordinary career, Kusama achieved international acclaim as a pioneering avant-garde artist, producing visual art, performances, fiction, and poetry. She continued to paint until her very last days, remaining committed to her artistic practice, even as her work captivated audiences around the world.

Born in 1929, Kusama was the youngest daughter of a wealthy family. At the age of 10, she began producing her distinctive art, famously recalling an episode in her autobiography where she saw a pattern on a red flowered tablecloth repeating endlessly across her room and onto her own body. Her unmistakable style, characterized by her bright red wig and bold polka dot outfits, was a manifestation of her ongoing struggle with mental illness.

Kusama moved to the United States in the late 1950s, where she became a prominent figure in New York's avant-garde scene. Despite facing discrimination as a Japanese woman, she gained fame for her large-scale, provocative paintings and groundbreaking "happenings" featuring body painting and polka dots. She also launched a fashion line, established a "Church of Self-Obliteration," and proudly styled herself as the "High Priestess of Polka Dots."

Throughout her later years, Kusama returned to Japan and voluntarily entered a Tokyo psychiatric hospital, where she lived and continued to work until her final days. Her iconic pumpkin sculptures, infinity rooms, and immersive installations attracted massive crowds and fetched millions of dollars at auctions.

Visitors stand inside the art installation 'Gleaming Lights of the Souls' created by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, Denmark on March 20, 2025. — AFP pic

Japanese netizen comments on her passing, expressing admiration for her work, saying, "Visions and hallucinations" that began in her childhood gave birth to her unique polka-dot and net-themed drawings, establishing her distinctive style from the start. Her philosophy of "self-obliteration," based on obsessive repetition and proliferation, has left an indelible mark on the world of contemporary art.

Kusama's company confirmed her death in a Tokyo hospital.