Yayoi Kusama, the troubled Japanese polka dot genius, who is Yayoi Kusama?
Who is Yayoi Kusama?
Yayoi Kusama, Japan's troubled polka dot genius, is a painter and sculptor who has been at the forefront of contemporary art since beginning her career in the 1950s. Her works are known for their bold use of of color and repetition of patterns, which they often apply to large-scale compositions. Kusama was born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan. She studied at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts then at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo before moving to New York in 1957. There she met artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The latter later became her husband from 1961 to 1973.
Kusama's early works were influenced by abstract expressionism, but in the late 1960s she began experimenting with dots, an idea that would become one of her signature styles throughout her career. In 1969, she created the “Infinity Mirror Room,” which featured mirrored rooms filled with polka dots. This piece has since been exhibited around the world and still attracts visitors today (it can be found at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles). In 1991, Kusama was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since then, she has lived in psychiatric institutions in Japan.
In recent years, she has become more famous outside of Japan due to her popularity with tourists who visit museums around the world that display her works. Kusama began showing her work at a young age and has since had solo exhibitions in galleries around the world. She has also collaborated with other artists on projects such as "Infinity Mirror Room", presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2017. The installation showed mirrors reflecting each other so that visitors could see themselves in them. endless (and their own reflections).
The origins of Yayoi Kusama and the beginning of her fame:
Yayoi Kusama is one of Japan's most famous artists and has been creating art for over 60 years. She is best known for her pixelated paintings, but she is also an installation artist and sculptor who has created major works around the world. His father was an art teacher and his mother was a poet. She started painting at a very young age and, at 18, she moved to Tokyo with her brother, who abandoned his medical studies to become an artist himself. He introduced Kusama to many artists interested in surrealism, including Taro Okamoto (1917-1996) and Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1916-1953). Kusama studied at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music from 1948 to 1951, where she encountered another important influence on her work: Kazuo Shiraga (1923-2010). Shiraga became close friends with Kusama when they were students together; They married in 1954 and he later supported her financially while she focused on painting full time rather than working outside the home as most women did at the time.
Kusama's first solo exhibition took place in 1958, at the age of 29. It included paintings inspired by the hallucinations she experienced after taking LSD. In 1960, she began working with polka dots, which would become one of her iconic symbols, and exhibited them alongside other works incorporating themes such as sexuality, mental illness and spirituality. His work often includes mirrors or reflective surfaces; For example, one room features a room filled with mirrors that reflect endlessly until they seem to disappear into infinity (see image).
After spending time in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s (where she met artists such as Yves Klein), Kusama returned to Japan where she lived until 2009, when she returned to Japan permanently. 'stranger.
Yayoi Kusama's take on the art world:
His work focuses on polka dots, often large and in bright colors like red or yellow. Dots have been used throughout history as symbols of happiness and luck, because they resemble smiles when placed next to each other (for example when people smile at each other). This is why Kusama uses it so much in her works: she wants us all to be happy!
Yayoi Kusama is one of the most famous artists in the world. She is also one of the most troubled people. Kusama has been making art since she was a child, but she didn't start gaining attention until she was in her 30s. That's when she started painting polka dots on everything from canvases to silk dresses and selling them for millions of dollars a piece!
But there's more to this story than just an artist who found success late in life (and made money). In fact, Kusama is known for being outspoken about mental health issues and even went on a hunger strike when she felt her work was not being properly appreciated by critics or collectors.
Kusama's work has been exhibited in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; Tate Modern, London; Center Georges Pompidou Paris; Guggenheim Bilbao Spain; Reina Sofia Museum Madrid Spain; Mori Art Museum Tokyo Japan; National Gallery of Singapore, Singapore; Walker Arts Center Minneapolis Minnesota USA; Fukuoka Asian Art Museum Fukuoka, Japan
Learn more:
- The influence of Paul Cézanne on the art world, The influence of Paul Cézanne on cubism
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