The sketchbooks from Yayoi Kusama’s teenage years contain numerous studies of flora and fauna, accurately portrayed with fine details. While Kusama is widely recognized for her abstract paintings characterized by the repetition of singular motifs, her early emphasis on observation and figurative depictions through sketches formed the foundation of her artistic journey, serving as a means of translating her visions and inner perceptions into figurative forms.

This exhibition focuses on the diverse trajectories of Kusama’s figurative works, spanning from the 1940s to the present day. Most artworks offer detailed and figurative portrayals of familiar motifs, such as animals, plants, and everyday objects. Works include early sketches and traditional Japanese paintings from before her move to the United States, collages that she worked on intensively from the 1970s to the 1990s, as well as prints she has been producing prolifically since 1979.

This exhibition also displays several series of paintings representative of Kusama’s more recent endeavors since 2000. Selected works that feature motifs such as self-portraits and mysterious figures painted freely across canvases of varying sizes are showcased. These works are characterized by figurative images, such as profiles or eyes, repeated to fill the entirety of the canvas, creating an appearance that closely resembles allover abstract art. Highlighting one of Kusama’s most favored themes, the pumpkin motif, we present an installation of the mirror room created in commemoration of the museum’s inauguration along with a separate large-scale sculpture. Moreover, the latest soft sculpture-covered boat, a concept first introduced by Kusama in the 1960s, is presented for its world premiere.

L: Onions 1948
R: Lunar Eclipse 1989
© YAYOI KUSAMA

L: O Beautiful Assemblage of Young Women's Loves and Romances　O Beautiful Day Every Day　With All the Beauty of All My Heart　For Everyone, EVERY DAY I PRAY FOR LOVE 2021
R: PUMPKINS SCREAMING ABOUT LOVE BEYOND INFINITY 2017
© YAYOI KUSAMA