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World-renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has passed away aged 97. A statement released today (August 27) announced that she died in a Tokyo hospital on August 14 but ‘continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush’.
Kusama was best known for her psychedelic polka dot motifs, mesmerising Infinity Mirror Rooms, giant spotty pumpkins and bright red bob. Her London exhibitions were always wildly popular. The 2021 ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’ at the Tate Modern was in such high demand that it stuck around two years longer than originally planned. A temporary six-metre pumpkin (pictured below) was in Kensington Gardens in 2024.
The statement from the artist’s company continued: ‘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.
‘We will carry forward Kusama’s wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world.’
At the moment, you’ll have to travel to Amsterdam or Tokyo to see a major Kusama exhibition, but a couple of her pieces can be found here in London. Here’s where to find them.
Where to see Yayoi Kusama in London right now
Liverpool Street Station
That huge gleaming metal sculpture outside the Lizzie line entrance at Liverpool Street station? Yes, that’s a Kusama. The installation, added in 2024, is titled ‘Infinite Accumulation’ and is a 3D take on Kusama’s polka dot obsession. It was designed to be in dialogue with Liverpool Street’s local architecture, encouraging passersby to ‘look up and respond to the urban environment in a new way’.
Moco Museum
Kusama is included in Moco’s permanent Modern Masters exhibition alongside Warhol, Basquiat and Haring. At the Marble Arch gallery, you’ll be able to admire her intricate ‘Pink Pumpkin’ screenprint from 1994. Tickets start at £16.90.
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