Hand-painted figure “Pumpkin” (2025) by Yayoi Kusama, zinc alloy with perforated dots, limited edition

Yayoi Kusama was born in Japan in 1929 and initially studied painting in Kyoto before moving to New York City in the late 1950s. Since her first solo exhibition in her home country in 1952, her work has been regularly featured in solo and group exhibitions. By the mid-1960s, she had solidified her status as a major avant-garde artist in New York, organizing groundbreaking happenings, events, and exhibitions that had a profound impact. She achieved widespread recognition in the late 1980s following several international solo exhibitions. She also represented Japan at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, receiving critical acclaim. Kusama's work transcends the boundaries of two important art movements of the second half of the 20th century: Pop Art and Minimalism. Her impressive and highly influential body of work includes paintings, performances, room-filling installations, outdoor sculptures, literary works, films, fashion, design, and interventions in existing architecture, addressing both microscopic and macroscopic universes.