TOKYO — Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, famous for her distinctive polka dots on paintings, sculptures, and museum installations globally, died at the age of 97, her studio announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Kusama passed away on August 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, though the cause of death was not specified by Yayoi Kusama Studio.

Kusama was one of Japan’s most respected contemporary artists, with exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, as well as the Museum Ludwig in Germany. Her art was characterized by repetitive motifs, often dots, which appeared vibrantly on her canvases and installations.

In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, Kusama expressed her affection for polka dots, saying, “Polka dots are fabulous,” while dressed in her signature orange bob wig and polka dot attire. She also shared her dedication to her craft: “I want to create a thousand paintings, maybe two thousand paintings, as many as I can draw. I will keep painting until I die.”

Kusama described her art as a reflection of how she perceived the world, covered with spots, a manifestation of hallucinations she experienced since childhood. Despite being in and out of psychiatric institutions for decades, her mental health challenges did not deter her pioneering spirit; she was among the first Japanese women to move to New York in 1957 to pursue her art.

Her influence extended beyond galleries, as she collaborated with fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and licensed her illustrations for various products, including teacups, T-shirts, and key chains.

Yayoi Kusama Studio stated, “She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul. We will carry forward Kusama’s wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world.”

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