Yayoi Kusama, iconic polka-dot artist, dies at 97

Yayoi Kusama, one of Japan’s most celebrated contemporary artists, died on Aug. 14 at the age of 97.

She died of multiple organ failure at a hospital in Tokyo, Kyodo News reported on Thursday.

Kusama won worldwide acclaim for her artworks’ distinctive visuals, mainly dazzling colors and endlessly repeating polka dots. Her dotted pumpkin sculptures are among her most instantly recognizable pieces.

Born in Nagano, Japan, in 1929, Kusama moved to the United States in 1957. She eventually settled in New York, where she developed the distinctive artistic style that defined her career.

She returned to Japan in 1973 and continued to create art featuring polka dots and other patterns across multiple mediums, such as paintings, sculptures and installations.

The Japanese government awarded Kusama the Order of Culture in 2016 in recognition of her contributions to contemporary art.

“Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose […] practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction and poetry,” the artist’s Yayoi Kusama Studio said in a statement on Thursday.

“She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and to explore forever love and eternal soul.”

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]