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Yayoi Kusama dies at 97: The artist who turned hallucinations into dots and infinity
From 1,500 mirror balls to her iconic Infinity Rooms, Yayoi Kusama turned her inner world into art that captivated audiences worldwide, and in India
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Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, celebrated for her polka dots, mirrored rooms and fantastical sculptures, has died aged 97. Known for her bright red wig, the artist overcame family opposition to pursue art and later voluntarily lived for decades in a psychiatric hospital, practising art therapy. Her lifelong hallucinations and vivid visions became a defining force in her art, inspiring the repetitive dots, mirrored spaces and immersive works that transformed her inner world into visual experiences. In a move that earned her global recognition in 1966, Kusama showed up unannounced at the Venice Biennale, carrying 1,500 mirror balls which she laid out at the lawn. Twenty-seven years later, she became Japan’s first solo artist to represent the country at the 1993 Venice Biennale.
Her works were some of the highest-earning in the world for a female artist. One of her paintings reportedly fetched about $10.5m at an auction in 2022. Her work also appeared in major museums and collaborations with luxury brands including Louis Vuitton.
Kusama’s loss has been deeply felt by art lovers across the world with many from the industry issuing statements and taking to social media to express their grief. “She shaped her life and work with extraordinary freedom, imagination, and vision, leaving an indelible mark on the art world over the past decades,” said Pietro Beccari to WWD, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton. “Her influence on art and culture is immeasurable.”
“I’m absolutely convinced that long after I’m gone, the appeal, popularity & standing of this extraordinary Artist is going grow to beyond enormous. Her life story is as amazing as her Art. RIP YAYOI KUSAMA (1929-2026),” tweeted actor Michael Warburton. Even Tim Cook expressed his grief tweeting, “A true visionary who showed us the power of boundless imagination. Yayoi Kusama’s creativity pushed the art world forward and left behind a brighter, more vibrant world for us all.”
Yayoi Kusama’s art in India
Kusama’s influence extended to India, where her immersive works found an excited audience at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai. The Centre unveiled her iconic Infinity Mirrored Room — The Eternally Infinite Light of the Universe Illuminating the Quest for Truth, 2020, in 2023, marking the work’s first public display in India. Part of Kusama’s acclaimed series that began in 1965, the installation uses mirrors and hundreds of multicoloured LED lights to create an infinite, dreamlike illusion. The NMACC’s permanent collection also includes Clouds, Kusama’s installation of 90 organically shaped stainless-steel forms, further cementing her presence in India’s contemporary art landscape.
