08/27/2026
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Japanese polka dot artist Yayoi Kusama dies at 97
In a statement issued on Wednesday, her representative David Zwirner said Kusama passed away from “multiple organ failure” at a Tokyo hospital on Aug. 14 /2026
RIP— Yayoi Kusama (1929–2026) was a pioneering Japanese avant-garde artist renowned as the “High Priestess of Polka Dots”.
She left an indelible mark on global contemporary art through her immersive installations, massive sculptures, and iconic motifs. On August 14, 2026, Kusama passed away in Tokyo at the age of 97, leaving behind a historic legacy as one of the world’s most successful and top-selling female artists.
In 1977, Kusama checked herself into a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo after struggling with severe anxiety and hallucinations.
She has lived and resided there voluntarily ever since.
She uses her art to transform her fears, obsessions, and hallucinations into celebrated creative works like her polka-dot patterns and Infinity Mirror Rooms
Yayoi Kusama’s (1929–2026) work transcended two of the most important art movements of the second half of the twentieth century: pop art and minimalism. Her highly influential career encompassed paintings, performances, room-size presentations, outdoor sculptural installations, literary works, films, fashion, design, and interventions within existing architectural structures, which allude at once to microscopic and macroscopic universes.
working daily in her studio nearby. Art isn’t just her passion... it’s her lifeline.
“I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day,” she has said. And yet she keeps painting, keeps installing, keeps showing the world beauty born from struggle.
“someone were to see my art and think ‘Kusama did some really good work,’ I would be satisfied. Art, for me, is a creed.”
If you’re having a hard day today, remember: some of the most extraordinary creations come from people who are simply trying to make it through one more day.
You’re not alone. Keep going.
Yayoi Kusama.
AUGUST 26, 2026
11:42 PM ET
