Photos show Yayoi Kusama and artwork featuring her signature polka dots

Skip to contentThursday, August 27, 2026Keep reading by creating a free account or signing in.Sign outKeep reading by creating a free account or signing in.Sign outWiresApFILE - Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama poses for photographers in front of her painting "Love Arrives at the Earth Carrying with it a Tale of the Cosmos

Renowned contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama has died at age 97 in a Tokyo hospital. Kusama's work was shown in museums around the world. Repetitive motifs in various shapes were her trademark, especially dots that danced on canvases or sparkled as balls or dots of light in her installations.

Kusama, who was candid about her mental health struggles, said New York gave her neuroses. Around 1977, a few years after returning to Japan, she voluntarily entered a mental hospital.

The paintings, sculptures and museum installations of Yayoi Kusama, one of Japan's most respected contemporary artists, were widely exhibited around the world.

"It is with profound sorrow that the passing of Yayoi Kusama at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97," the statement said.

The Japanese artist has died at age 97. Kusama's polka dotted pumpkins, "Infinity Rooms," and other repetitive and dreamlike artworks have been shown in museums and galleries worldwide.

Kusama died Aug. 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama Studio said.

TOKYO -- Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world, has died, her studio said Thursday. She was 97.Kusama died Aug. 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama Studio said.“She continued to paint until her final days, never setting

Yayoi Kusama, who splashed polka dots across art world, dies at 97 in Tokyo  AP News

Yayoi Kusama, Who Splashed Polka Dots Across Art World, Dies At 97  HuffPost

Yayoi Kusama, who splashed polka dots across art world, dies at 97  Toronto Star

The Japanese artist’s polka-dot covered paintings, phallic sculptures and public performances caused a stir in New York City and Europe in the 1960s.

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese avant-garde artist known worldwide for her repetitive imagery of polka dots, pumpkin sculptures and mesmeriz

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who filled the world with polka dots, dead at 97  CNN