Renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has died at the age of 97 in a Tokyo hospital, her studio announced on its official website.
Studio representatives stated on the website that they announced with deep sorrow the passing of Kusama in the Japanese capital on August 14, 2026.
Kusama had voluntarily resided on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo since 1977, where a dedicated individual block was built specifically for her.
The iconic artist was one of the most prominent figures in modern Japanese art. Her signature polka dot patterns, which she created under the influence of hallucinations, served as her visual trademark throughout her long career.
Her most active creative period coincided with the era when artists Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg held major influence in the art world. Among her celebrated creations was Infinity Mirror Rooms, an installation featuring numerous glowing spheres reflected in mirrors to evoke a sense of infinite cosmos.
Early Life in Matsumoto
Born in 1929 in the city of Matsumoto, Kusama grew up in a wealthy family that owned flower greenhouses. Matsumoto is a city located in Japan's mountainous Nagano Prefecture.
Her childhood was unhappy despite her family's financial security. Her father was unfaithful to her mother, while her mother treated the children harshly and forbade her daughter from engaging in her favorite activity of drawing flowers.
As an adult, Kusama defied her family's wishes by choosing art as her profession and departed Japan at the age of 28. In New York, she established her reputation through conceptual art and public happenings held in Central Park.
Return to Tokyo and International Revival
Her mental health deteriorated during her years in the United States. Suffering from depression and hallucinations, Kusama decided to return to Japan to seek psychiatric treatment, establishing a permanent home at the Tokyo clinic.
For roughly two decades following her return, Kusama was largely forgotten by the global art world. Public interest in her work experienced a major revival during the 1990s, when she began producing large-scale installations.
These installations expanded upon concepts she first developed in her 1965 work Infinity Mirror Room: Phalli's Field. In more recent years, the emergence of social media platforms and the global craze for taking selfies inside her mirrored environments turned her into one of the most famous female artists of the modern era.
Tokyo Museum and Iconic Visual Style
A museum dedicated to her life and work opened in Tokyo in 2017. Visitor demand proved so intense that administrators were forced to limit entry to 200 people per day.
Her giant installations frequently appeared beyond traditional galleries and museums, occupying major public spaces in cities around the globe. Alongside her massive artwork, Kusama's personal image achieved iconic status, characterized by her vibrant bright orange or bright red bob wigs.
Earlier Loss in the Art Community
In a separate report from the art world earlier in August, Russian painter Pavel Eskov died in his 46th year. The Repin Academy of Arts graduate had participated in more than 100 exhibitions, won multiple art competitions, and taught painting.
