Yayoi Kusama passes away at 97: Lesser known facts about the Japanese polka dot artist

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama died on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97, leaving behind one of contemporary art's most recognisable visual worlds. Famous for her polka dots, pumpkins and Infinity Mirror Rooms, Kusama's career also encompassed performance art, fashion, literature and political happenings. Her work was deeply connected to the visions and hallucinations she experienced from childhood. (wikimedia commons)

She Wrote to Georgia O'Keeffe: Before moving to America, Kusama sought advice from Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the few American female artists she knew. She tracked down O'Keeffe's address in New Mexico through the US Embassy and wrote to her about pursuing an artistic career. O'Keeffe responded with encouragement, helping strengthen Kusama's determination to move to the United States.

She Arrived in America With Thousands of Works: When Kusama moved to the United States in the late 1950s, she did not arrive empty-handed. She reportedly carried around 2,000 watercolours and drawings, eventually settling in New York and rapidly developing her Infinity Net paintings, soft sculptures and experimental installations. (instagram: the.jacaranda)

She Ran a Fashion Company: In the 1960s, Kusama ventured into fashion and established the Kusama Fashion Company. She also opened a short-lived boutique, Kusama's Korner, in New York. Her fascination with polka dots extended beyond canvases and installations into clothing and commercial spaces, decades before her later collaborations with major fashion brands. (instagram: sothebys)

Her Art Was Once a Form of Protest: Kusama's early reputation was not built solely on paintings. During the 1960s, she organised provocative anti-war and anti-authoritarian happenings, including events on the Brooklyn Bridge and at other prominent New York locations. Participants were sometimes painted with polka dots, which Kusama connected to her concept of “self-obliteration” losing the individual within a larger universe. (wikimedia commons)

She Continued Creating From a Psychiatric Hospital: After returning to Japan in 1973, Kusama voluntarily admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo in 1977 and continued living there for the rest of her life, while maintaining a studio nearby. Far from stopping her artistic practice, the hospital environment gave her stability to keep producing paintings, sculptures, installations and writing. She continued working until her final days. (wikimedia commons)

She Was Also a Novelist and Poet: Kusama's creative life extended far beyond visual art. After returning to Japan in 1973, she increasingly devoted herself to writing fiction and poetry, eventually publishing more than a dozen novels. Some of her books drew directly from her experiences, including the autobiographical Manhattan Suicide Addict. (amazon.in)