Yayoi Kusama Dies at 97, Global Icon

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama has died at 97, with the death announced as occurring on August 14 in Tokyo. She transformed her hallucinations into art and became renowned for her polka-dot paintings, pumpkins, and immersive mirror installations. Her early career in New York and anti-war activities, along with decades spent in a mental hospital in Japan, shaped her public persona and stubborn creative drive. Kusama achieved global recognition through exhibitions at major institutions like MoMA and the Whitney, and her Infinity Mirror Rooms later drew worldwide attention. She returned to Japan in 1973, established a personal museum near Tokyo in 2017, and received honors including TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2016 and Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun in 2006. Her prolific career, spanning more than six decades, left a lasting impact on contemporary art and popular culture.