[비즈한국] Yayoi Kusama, a master of contemporary art, passed away at a hospital in Tokyo, Japan, on August 14 at the age of 97. The Yayoi Kusama Foundation announced the news in an official statement on August 27. The foundation honored her 97-year career as a multi-disciplinary avant-garde artist, stating, "We will uphold the artist's legacy and continue to deliver hope and strength for the future to the world through her art."
Yayoi Kusama is regarded as a master of 20th-century art history. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York commented, "Yayoi Kusama completely transformed the landscape of 20th-century art history by breaking down the boundaries between minimalism, pop art, and performance art." London’s Tate Modern praised her as "an artist who transcended the threshold of the museum space to bring the wonder and emotion of art to millions of viewers around the world."
Born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, in 1929, Kusama suffered from severe mental health struggles in her youth, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, hallucinations, and auditory hallucinations. In her younger years, she moved to New York, where she gained global fame by shattering the conventions of traditional art through installations and performances utilizing mirrors, lights, and repetitive patterns.
Upon returning to Japan in 1973, Kusama voluntarily checked into a psychiatric hospital. Alongside her treatment, she continued her creative activities across various fields, including art, novels, and poetry. In 2017, she opened her own museum in Shinjuku, Tokyo. She received numerous awards in various fields such as short film, literature, and art. She was appointed an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France in 2003 and received the Japan Art Academy's Order of Culture in 2016.
Kusama was widely known for her "Pumpkin" series, characterized by repeating polka dot patterns. The pumpkin, which became her signature symbol, was a source of comfort and nostalgia for the artist. In an interview, Kusama explained, "Pumpkins talk to me," adding, "They provide me with a sense of stability and peace of mind."
Yayoi Kusama was also beloved in South Korea. Her Asian retrospective tour, ‘A Dream I Dreamed,’ held in Daegu and Seoul from 2013 to 2014, attracted 450,000 visitors, setting a new record for public art exhibitions in Korea. The ‘KUSAMA YAYOI’ exhibition held at Gallery S2A in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in 2022 drew significant interest from the art market and collectors. The exhibition featured around 40 works, including paintings, sculptures, and prints, notably a 1995 ‘Pumpkin’ piece (size 100) with an insured value of approximately 20 billion won.
Kusama is also recognized as the female artist who commands the highest prices in the art auction market. Her record auction price was set by her early painting ‘Untitled (Nets)’ (1959), which sold for approximately 10.49 million dollars (around 14 billion won) at a Phillips New York auction in 2022. In Korea, a 1981 ‘Pumpkin’ piece was auctioned for 5.45 billion won in 2021.
Her works can currently be found at various locations in Korea, including the Bonte Museum in Jeju, Paradise City in Incheon, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Gwacheon).