Japanese Avant-Garde Artist Yayoi Kusama Dies Aged 97

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, whose dazzling polka dots, pumpkins and immersive mirror installations made her one of the world's most recognisable contemporary artists, has died aged 97.

Kusama died in a Tokyo hospital on August 14, according to a statement released by her company.

The statement said Kusama had devoted her life entirely to artistic creation, building an internationally acclaimed career spanning visual art, performance, fiction and poetry.

"She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush," the statement said, adding that her work would continue to inspire hope and strength around the world.

Known for her bright red wig and distinctive polka-dot designs, Kusama became a global cultural icon particularly late in her life, after decades in which she struggled for recognition within the male-dominated art world.

She first gained attention in New York during the 1960s, where her unconventional exhibitions featured phallic sculptures, fabric-covered furniture and performances involving nudity.

Her groundbreaking "Infinity Mirror Rooms", using mirrors and lights to create the illusion of endless spaces, became among her most celebrated works. First exhibited in the 1960s, the installations eventually attracted millions of visitors around the world.

Kusama was deeply frustrated when she believed male artists, including Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Lucas Samaras, had drawn inspiration from her ideas while receiving greater recognition from influential galleries and critics.

Disillusioned, she returned to Japan and entered a psychiatric hospital, where she would live and work for much of the rest of her life.

Rather than ending her career, the hospital environment provided Kusama with a secure place in which she could concentrate on her art. She continued producing work there, including darker collages during the 1970s and early 1980s that explored themes surrounding nature and the cycles of life.

Her reputation changed dramatically in later decades.

In 1993, Kusama became the first Japanese solo artist to represent Japan at the Venice Biennale. Her appearance followed an earlier, unauthorised intervention at the event in 1966, when she placed 1,500 mirrored balls across the grounds.

The success of her later career transformed her standing both in Japan and internationally.

Kusama received the Asahi Prize in 2001 in recognition of her contribution to Japanese culture and the arts. Her works subsequently commanded increasingly high prices, with one of her paintings selling for about $10.5 million at auction in 2022.

Major exhibitions followed around the world, including an extended three-year presentation at London's Tate Modern, where huge crowds were drawn to her immersive installations.

Social media later introduced Kusama's work to a new generation, with her brightly coloured flowers, reflective sculptures and mirror rooms becoming popular settings for photographs and selfies.

From a largely overlooked artist working on the margins of the art world, Kusama ultimately became one of Japan's most celebrated creative figures and a defining presence in contemporary art.