Yayoi Kusama, an icon, rebel and visionary, passed away this week
10 interesting facts about Yauoi Kusama
- Yayoi Kusama arrived in Seattle in 1957 with two kimonos and 200 paintings. This is the first city Kusama visited when she moved to the US.
- Kusama was pen pals with Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Nixon, and the President of France.
- She partnered with Louis Vuitton to design a clothing line in 2012.
- Narcissus Garden, a rogue performance piece by Kusama, was installed outside of the 33rd Venice Biennale in 1966 with the support of one of the curators, however she was asked to leave the premises.
- She was making Pop art before Andy Warhol.
- Assemblage artist and filmmaker, Joseph Cornell and Kusama had an intimate friendship that prompted his mother to dump a bucket of water on them once when she caught them kissing.
- The quintessential polymath, Kusama has published numerous literary works.
- A firm believer in love forever, Kusama performed a gay marriage way before gay marriage was legal.
- In 2016, she was ranked as the most expensive living female artist on aggregate.
- Yayoi Kusama produced art work for more than six decades.
Kusama was an avant-garde artist who died at the age of 97. She worked across painting, installation, and sculpture, and has covered rooms, trees, and buildings with her iconic imagery. Kusama started painting her famous polka-dotted sculptures in the 50s which put her problems into perspective. “I wanted to examine the single dot that was my own life. One polka dot: a single particle among billions,” she said.
‘more and more, i think about the role of the arts, and as an artist,
i think that it’s important that I share the love and peace.’
-Yayoi Kusama
—
source credits:galerie, chelsea werner-gatzky
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I loved her vibrant, colourful art. She really was a one-off, even spending much of her life in a mental hospital she chose to admit herself to. The BBC website gave her a nice tribute, with lots of photos of her work.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v4k0re3vwo
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you for the link, Pete!
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My pleasure. 😊
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Her life story was very challenging and as unique as her art
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She was indeed brilliant and unique. May she rest in peace. xo
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Such an interesting life and person. Too many deaths of brilliant, good people this week!
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Yes and yes , too many
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A truly wonderful quote by Yayoi Kusama: “I share the love and peace” is truly a wonderful slogan to live by, Beth
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I love that as well
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Amazing art.
Another huge loss Beth 😪
Thank you for sharing.
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Yes, she was so unique
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wonderful commemoration; a keeper :)
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She was such a unique person
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Wow, what an amazing person!
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KR!
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Wonderful artworks
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A remarkable lady
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I have not heard of her before. So thank you very much for this tribute and for introducing us/me to such a brilliant artist.
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She was kind of an enigma, but there’s no denying her vision and talent.
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I agree
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Amazing woman and an excellent tribute too.
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A vibrant personality, she was. I had never heard of her until her passing. Fascinating and inspirational.
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She led a very challenging life and did things her own way
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Those who have not had it easy, often become powerful in their own way.
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yes, that’s very true
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Lovely art.❤️
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So unusual
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I am intrigued to learn more
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She had a very unusual life
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I’m so sorry to learn that she is no longer with us. Certainly an interesting artist. I like her work. She was definitely a rebel. I saw a great video on her a couple of years ago.
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she had such an interesting and challenging life
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What an amazing woman and visionary. I am in awe of her life; and her passion for the single dot. I’m so glad she reached the greatest heights in her career.
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I feel pretty ignorant because I didn’t know anything about her until her recent passing. The beauty of art is that it can take so many forms. I’ve enjoyed looking at many of her pieces over the last few days.
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i didn’t learn about her and her art, until a couple of years ago, and her art is so unusual, she was a one of a kind
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What a gifted artist and wonderful human being. Thank you for sharing this artist with us, previously unknown to me.
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happy to do so –
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Wow – she’s incredible! “Kusama was pen pals with Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Nixon, and the President of France.” – what an interesting list.
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quite the mix
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Oh wow, Her work is incredible. My daughter would love the first one.
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it is so unique and interesting –
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