Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin, 1992

"Yayoi Kusama is one of the most iconic artists of our generation. It is the classic pumpkin motif that has become a symbol of her worldwide acclaim. In this present work, there is an opportunity to acquire an extraordinary and wonderful impression that comes in excellent condition." - James Kerbey, Expert at Maddox Advisory

Who is Yayoi Kusama?
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist born on March 22, 1929, in Matsumoto, Japan. Pumpkins and flowers are important motifs in Yayoi Kusama’s work, fascinations that extend from the artist’s youth. Their symbolism reflects many of the artist’s conceptual preoccupations as well as her disregard for dichotomies: they connote life and death, celebration and mourning, masculinity and femininity; while their complex, organic and fragile forms find echoes throughout Kusama’s practice, not least in its celebration of human sensuality. Formally, the use of these motifs is consistent with the blending of the manufactured and the organic in her print and sculptural work. Their random, almost mutant, appearance highlights the degree to which the natural world appears as strange and uncanny in modern culture, while at the same time maintaining connotations of fertility and growth.

Pumpkins and flowers first appeared in Kusama’s paintings and drawings executed during her studies of nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts. Their unpredictable, organic shapes are reminiscent of the automatic drawing technique of postwar Surrealism, the influence of which can be found in Kusama’s early work, and indeed across much Japanese avant-garde art of the early 1950s. Over the past 5 years, Yayoi Kusama has commanded some of the art market's highest prices. As the top-selling living female artist, Kusama consistently shatters auction records with her sculptures, prints, and paintings. Her prints, known for retaining substantial value, uphold their timeless allure for collectors and art enthusiasts alike. In 1959, Kusama introduced her pioneering Infinity Net paintings in New York, a revolutionary response to the emotionally charged brushstrokes of artists like Pollock and de Kooning. Despite being relatively new to oil painting, she redefined the medium by transforming the bold brushstrokes of gestural abstraction into delicate repetitions, creating a feminine aesthetic based on obsession. This technique, born from her personal struggle with obsessional neurosis, became her therapeutic escape, enabling her to confront and transcribe her haunting visions.

It is important to mention that Kusama has been open about her mental health and has resided in a mental health facility since the 1970s, from which she leaves daily to walk to her nearby studio to work. She says that art has become her way of expressing her mental issues.

Louis Vuitton Collab
In a groundbreaking partnership, Kusama worked with both Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. Kusama would take over the brand's iconic storefronts in London, New York, and Tokyo a decade later, featuring a robot on Fifth Avenue and a hyper-realistic anamorphic billboard in Tokyo. Since Kusama’s first collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2013, the average sale price for her prints has quadrupled at auction.

Pumpkin 1992
It is a vibrant representation of her beloved and defining theme. Showcases Kusama’s meticulous use of black dots on a golden orange surface and background of intricate linework associated with her celebrated ‘net’ paintings. The unpretentious pumpkin has long featured in Kusama’s art practice, and provided a comforting, grounding motif and symbol of fertility among the flashes of lights, dots and flowers that assailed her during the hallucinatory episodes of her youth.

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