Iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has died. She passed away at the age of 97, leaving behind an important message for many people.
The world-famous artist Yayoi Kusama is dead. Her museum and foundation announced this today, Thursday.
Painting Until the Very End
The Japanese artist had passed away on August 14 in a hospital in Tokyo, the statement continued.
She continued to paint until her final days and virtually never put her brushes aside. She also believed until the very end that love could save the world, according to Kusama’s representatives.
Endless Lines of Visitors
Many works by the Japanese global icon had been on display in Switzerland just a few weeks ago, as muula.ch reported on multiple occasions regarding the exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler with the rush of visitors.
Her signature pumpkins are also regularly available for purchase at Art Basel in Basel.
Although the artist, due to her advanced age, no longer traveled to Basel in person, her works were still flying off the shelves, and the lines of visitors stretched endlessly.
Born in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1929, she was raised strictly by her mother, who sought to mold her according to traditional Japanese expectations of women’s roles.
Yet this pressure led to an unexpected burst of creativity, which also proved as an outlet for her psychiatric issues – including hallucinations – by transforming them into works of art.
Museums are clamoring
She initially tried her luck in America.
But her breakthrough came at the Venice Biennale, when Kusama’s artwork featuring many balls was not admitted, so she then insisted on selling her work off in pieces until the police arrived.
Later, her artworks fetched many millions at auctions, and the world’s top museums – such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York – vied for her works.
The Fondation Beyeler had been requesting an exhibition for several decades.
Never Give Up – Ganbaru 頑張る
Throughout her life, Kusama never gave up; despite many setbacks, she tried her hand at fashion, sculpture, furniture, poetry, painting, and more.
This is, in a sense, the message that has inspired so many people around the world.
Never giving up and believing in oneself, despite the poor prospects for women in Japanese society.
Great things can emerge from this, as illustrated by the “Polka Dots,” which became the Japanese artist’s trademark.
August 27, 2026/kut./ena.
