Widely inspirational and innovative artist Yayoi Kusama has a body of work that is exceptionally varied, ranging from graphic prints and paintings to polka-dot pumpkin sculptures, hypnotic collages, large-scale installations and fashion design.
Even if you don’t know her name, you’ve likely experienced Kusama’s art — or have seen it on Instagram. Her soft sculptures and dazzling “Infinity Mirrors” are the stuff of selfie-takers’ dreams, but Kusama’s impressive decades-long career certainly holds far more cachet than it does fodder for today’s aspiring social-media influencers.
Born in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1929, Kusama has worked with her signature polka dots since the age of 10, when she began to experience vivid hallucinations and claimed that patterns and dots were moving around her, swallowing up everything in view. She started to incorporate them into her paintings as a child. Kusama saw circular forms and nets on every surface and became especially fascinated with the pebbles that lined the bottom of the creek near her childhood home. Her family was sternly opposed to her art and her mother physically abused Kusama and discouraged her at a very early age. She has suffered psychological turmoil her whole life and is vocal about her mental illness. Today, Kusama is a voluntary resident at a psychiatric facility in Tokyo, and she calls her work “art medicine.”
At the Kyoto School of Arts and Crafts, Kusama trained in Nihonga, a traditional style of Japanese painting that originated during the Meiji period. On advice she solicited from painter Georgia O'Keeffe, a pioneer of modernism in America whom she greatly admired, she subsequently moved to New York City in 1958. There, Kusama flourished, creating prescient sculptures and large-scale monochrome paintings that bridged current styles with minimalism, which hadn’t yet achieved any kind of prominence as an art movement. She pushed boundaries with her “Accumulations” series, which saw her transforming found furniture pieces into sexualized objects, as well as with an avant-garde staging of theatrical orgies on the street — both stemming from her anxieties about sex as well as an endeavor to make a feminist statement about patriarchal authority and sexism.
Kusama was captivated by Surrealists as well as the Abstract Expressionists and greatly influenced the Pop artists who followed, befriending such icons as Donald Judd — who called her work “the best paintings being done” — and Andy Warhol, with whom she exhibited and later accused of stealing her ideas. Kusama moved with ease through artistic circles and made a point to draw attention to her “otherness” as a Japanese woman by wearing kimonos to her openings.
In 2021, Kusama brought her floral and vegetal sculptures to the New York Botanical Garden and her works can be found in the collections of many of the world’s top museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. She famously collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2012, and she created a 34-foot-tall balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan in 2019, becoming the first female artist to design a work for the event. In addition to her visual artwork, Kusama is a writer, publishing poetry, novels and an autobiography.
Find a collection of Yayoi Kusama art on 1stDibs.
$1,000
Yayoi Kusama Art Production Fund Limited Edition Beach Towel (NEW in shrinkwrap)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in New York, NY
Art Production Fund Limited Edition Beach Towel (NEW in shrinkwrap), 2014 Digital print on brushed cotton beach towel 70 × 60 inches Edition of 1000 Fabric manufacturer's label to ed...
Textile, Digital
$2,350
Love Forever Porcelain Bowl VIP Gold Edition Limited Edition for Ginza 6 opening
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in New York, NY
Yayoi Kusama Love Forever Ceramic Bowl (VIP Gold Edition), 2017 Limited Edition Porcelain Bowl Signature, titled and date fired into bowl on the underside 4.5 x 4.5 x 1 inch Limited...
Ceramic, Porcelain, Mixed Media, Screen
Self Portrait
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
text en verso
Lithograph
Yayoi Kusama -- When Life Boundlessly Flares Up to the Universe, 2014
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama When Life Boundlessly Flares Up to the Universe, 2014 Print on the cotton towel Size 93 x 36.4 x 2.5 cm Framed with the white aluminium frame and UV-protected acrylic gl...
Fabric
Untitled (Infinity Mirror Dots)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Part of a group of 3D pop up books released by a well known art publication, this Yayoi Kusama pop up book features her signature dots and infinity room s...
$15,000
Set of 3
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Extremely rare set of exhibition offset lithographic poster prints from Yayoi Kusama. They were released by the Matsumoto City Museum of Art in Jap...
Paper
Pumpkin sculpture with holes By Yayoi Kusama
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Pumpkin sculpture with holes By Yayoi Kusama Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist known for her avant-garde and immersive installations, often featuring polka dots and mi...
Metal
Kusama Skateboard decks (Yayoi Kusama MoMa)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Yayoi Kusama MoMa Skateboard Decks (set of 2 works): These Kusama skateboard decks feature Kusama's Dots Obsession imagery and make for standout Kusama wall art that hangs with ease...
Wood, Offset
$2,000Sale Price|63% Off
I Want to Sing My Heart in Praise of People
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Extremely rare exhibition poster printed on medium thick paper. It was released by the Matsumoto City Museum of Art in Japan with text on the ve...
Lithograph, Offset
Yayoi Kusama -- Pumpkin ( blue )
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin ( blue) Print on cotton towel Size 92.5 x 33 x 2.5 cm Framed with the wood-style aluminium frame and the UV protect acrylic glass published by シンワ繊維株式会社 Desi...
Fabric
$1,500
Yayoi Kusama - Limited Edition leather clutch (bag) famed Infinity Mirrored Room
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in New York, NY
Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrored Room: The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away: Leather Clutch Purse in Original Box, 2017 Leather outside; polyester inside 6 × 10 × 2 inches This le...
Leather, Polyester, Mixed Media
$1,880Sale Price|46% Off
Untitled (exhibition poster)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Untitled (exhibition poster)
Lithograph
Yayoi Kusama -- Pumpkin ( red )
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin ( red ) Print on the cotton towel Size 34.2 x 91.2 x 2.5 cm Framed with the purple golden aluminium frame and the UV-protected acrylic glass published by シンワ繊...
Fabric
$1,560Sale Price|65% Off
Love Forever
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Very rare and never released to the public. Produced on the occasion of the opening of the GINZA SIX store location of Opening Ceremony.
Porcelain
Yayoi Kusama -- When Life Boundlessly Flares Up to the Universe, 2014
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama When Life Boundlessly Flares Up to the Universe, 2014 Print on the cotton towel Size 93 x 36.4 x 2.5 cm Framed with a wood-style aluminium frame and UV-protected acrylic...
Fabric
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin Cast Resin Figure - Red, 2019
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin Cast Resin Figure - Red, 2019 3.5 H x 5.5 W x 5.5 D inches Lacquer-painted cast resin figure. Stamped with the artist’s name on the underside. Sold in the o...
Resin, Lacquer, Paint
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin Cast Resin Figure in Red, 2015
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin Cast Resin Figure in Red, 2015 Lacquer-painted cast resin figure. Stamped with the artist’s name on the underside. Comes in the original box, never opened. ...
Resin, Lacquer, Paint
$750
Yayoi Kusama - Infinity Umbrella - Brand New Limited Edition Sold out Great gift
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in New York, NY
Yayoi Kusama Infinity Umbrella, 2014 Silkscreen on 100% polyester umbrella with plastic handle 37 × 54 × 54 inches This limited edition silkscreened umbrella was created exclusively...
Plastic, Polyester, Screen
Infinity Nets Triptych Art Skateboard Deck Set of 3
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Draper, UT
Yayoi Kusama X MoMA Infinity Nets (set of 3), 2018 Screenprints in colors on skate decks 32 x 8 inches (81.3 x 20.3 cm) (each) Edition of 500 Produced by the Museum of Modern Art, Ne...
Wood, Screen
$1,560Sale Price|71% Off
Love Forever (VIP Gold Edition)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Very rare and never released to the public. Produced on the occasion of the opening of the GINZA SIX store location of Opening Ceremony. This is the rar...
Porcelain
$950Sale Price|48% Off
Love Forever
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Love Forever ceramic heart container by Yayoi Kusama
Ceramic
$4,400Sale Price|20% Off
With All My Flowering Heart limited edition skateboard set
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Limited edition Set of three Limited Edition silkscreens on maplewood skate deck triptych 31.00 x 8.00 x 0.25 in 78.7 x 20.3 x 0.6 cm Edition of 500 Signed on the deck with Kusama...
Wood, Maple
The Smell of Us (Limited edition softcover book)
By Larry Clark
Located in New York, NY
Larry Clark The Smell of Us, 2015 Limited Edition softcover book printed on heavy paper stock in oblong binding (Edition: 250) 5 1/2 × 8 inches This first edition book by Larry Clark...
Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.5 in W 11.35 in
Over Thinking Will Fucking Kill You Screen Print CB HOYO Urban Art Street
By CB Hoyo
Located in Draper, UT
CB Hoyo’s irreverent multidisciplinary practice—which spans painting, sculpture, and installation—approaches art-world fraud, forgery, and hype with a sense of humor. The self-taught...
Screen
Andy Warhol The Souper Dress (Andy Warhol Campbells)
By Andy Warhol
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Andy Warhol The Souper Dress c. 1965-1967: Inspired by Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, this dress was sold by the Campbell’s Soup Company in the late 19...
Lithograph, Paper, Screen
$250Sale Price|50% Off
H 27.56 in W 27.56 in
Black cat for good luck, 70x70cm, print on canvas.Edition 20 pcs.
Located in Yerevan, AM
70x70cm, print on canvas Edition 20 pcs.
Canvas, Color
$2,237Sale Price|30% Off
H 31.5 in W 23.63 in
Light Haze Day - Japanese, Contemporary, Gold, Pop Art
By Yoshitomo Nara
Located in London, GB
3 x skateboard decks Each deck measure approx. 31x8in (80x20cm) Made of 7-ply Grade A Canadian Maple wood 3 x Sk8ology Invisible Floating Skateboard Deck Snap Display wall mount incl...
Wood, Screen
Water Lilies
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in New York, NY
Published in 1990 by Rosenthal, Germany, Roy Lichtenstein’s, Water Lilies is an exquisite glazed porcelain charger, brilliantly colored, accompanied by signed certification. Stamp si...
Porcelain, Screen
$800
H 31 in W 8 in
Basquiat Gold Griot Skateboard Deck (Basquiat skate deck)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Limited edition Basquiat Gold Griot Skateboard Deck c. 2019: Rare limited edition Basquiat skateboard deck published by The Broad Museum Los Angeles in conjunction with the estate of...
Wood, Offset
Multi-Divided Lemon, Oil Painting
By McGarren Flack
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A cut-up lemon rests on a muted surface, its interior revealing various color changes. The light and shadow emphasize the fruit's vibrant yellow skin and fles...
Oil
Big Nude By Helmut Newton
By Helmut Newton
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Big Nude By Helmut Newton 1992 Medium: Offset Lithograph Paper Size: 33 x 23.25 inches ( 84 x 59 cm ) Image Size: 25.5 x 19.75 inches ( 65 x 50 cm ) Edition Size: Unknown
Lithograph, Offset
$950
H 1 in Dm 10.25 in
Roy Lichtenstein's Screen Printed Paper Plate - 1969 Collectible
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in Soquel, CA
Roy Lichtenstein's Screen Printed Paper Plate - 1969 Collectible A plate from Roy Lichtenstein's 1969 project for filmmaker Bert Stern. The plates were originally printed and packag...
Paper, Ink, Screen
Composition Fond Bleu By Henri Matisse
By Henri Matisse
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Composition Fond Bleu By Henri Matisse 1996 Medium: Offset Lithograph Paper Size: 39.25 x 27.5 inches ( 100 x 70 cm ) Image Size: 34.5 x 21.75 inches ( 88 x 55 cm ) Edition Si...
Lithograph, Offset
Cow
By Andy Warhol
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint on wallpaper, 1971. Printed by Bill Miller's Wallpaper Studio, Inc., New York. Published for a Warhol exhibition at the Whitney Museum by Factory Additions, New Yor...
Screen
Love Forever set of 2
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Love Forever set of 2
Ceramic
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Yayoi Kusama - 'RED FLOWER' Ceramic Plate
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1939) glazed ceramic plate. Titled 'Red Flower'. Signed and dated 2002. Marked and numbered 209/300 to verso. Measures 22.7 cm diameter.
Ceramic
Yayoi Kusama -- Pumpkin ( yellow )
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin ( yellow ) Print on cotton towel Size 92.5 x 33 x 2.5 cm Framed with the black aluminum frame and the UV protect acrylic glass published by シンワ繊維株式会社
Fabric
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Yayoi Kusama -- Pumpkin ( yellow )
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin ( yellow ) Print on cotton towel Size 92.5 x 33 x 2.5 cm Framed with the black aluminum frame and the UV protect acrylic glass published by シンワ繊維株式会社
Fabric
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Sold
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW) Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Resin sculpture Edition: Open Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Resin
Sold
H 4.13 in W 3.35 in D 3.35 in
Red/White & Yellow/Black Pumpkins (two sculptures)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Yayoi Kusama (1929) Title: Red/White & Yellow/Black Pumpkins (two sculptures) Year: circa 2020 Medium: Painted Cast Resin Sculptures Size: 4.13 x 3.35 x 3.35 inches Condition...
Epoxy Resin