At 97, Japan's art icon Yayoi Kusama remains prolific
Mar 22nd 2026 ยท Japan
The 97 year old artist behind the Instagramable Infinity Rooms turns lifelong hallucinations into installations and sculptures, living in a Tokyo psychiatric clinic while exhibiting and selling work worldwide.
- Yayoi Kusama, born in 1929, is best known for her Infinity Rooms and polka dot sculptures.
- She began experiencing hallucinations around age 10 and channels those visions into her art.
- Kusama moved to New York in 1958, joined the avant garde and staged provocative happenings and Infinity Net paintings.
- She returned to Japan in 1973 and lives in a Tokyo psychiatric clinic while continuing to produce work.
- Kusama has achieved global fame and commercial success, and a retrospective at Museum Ludwig in Cologne runs until October 2, 2026.