Avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97
The artist’s hallucinatory works made her a global superstar.
Tokyo: Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, 97, has died, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday.
Her studio confirmed her death in a statement posted to her website on Thursday (AEST) but noted she had died several weeks ago.
“It is with profound sorrow that the passing of Yayoi Kusama at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97.
“Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry.
“She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul.
“We will carry forward Kusama’s wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world.”
Kusama was renowned for her colourful spotted sculptures of giant pumpkins and her light installations that for the viewer felt like gazing into infinity.
Her works were the subject of major exhibitions in Australia, including at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2024 at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art in 2018 and Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2009. Her NGV exhibition broke attendance records at the time.
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