Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who became famous later in life for her work in sculptures and installations, has died aged 97, her company has confirmed.

The statement announced, "with profound sorrow... the passing of Yayoi Kusama at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97".

"Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry," it said.

Kusama, who had voluntarily lived in a pyschiatric hospital for decades, was known for her bright-red wig and quirky polka-dot ensembles.

"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."

Kusama became one of the world's most recognisable artists and a global cultural icon in her 80s and 90s, after having been mostly overlooked for decades.

Poorly received by a masculine-dominated art scene of New York in the 1960s, Kusama caused a stir with her exhibitions of phallic sculptures, including a fabric couch, and frequent displays of nudity.

In 1965, her work "Infinity Mirror Rooms", in which mirrors and lights create seemingly endless spaces, attracted millions of visitors. Later, her polka-dot and pumpkin works became highly sought-after.

She didn't attract international attention until decades later, going on to become Japan's first solo artist to represent the country at the 1993 Venice Biennale.

The roaring success of the exhibition led to a huge transformation in how she was received both in Japan and abroad.

One of her paintings fetched about $10.5m (£7.7m) at auction in 2022.

Then, her work appeared in major museums and collaborations with luxury brands including Louis Vuitton.

As a child, Kusama experienced hallucinations of embers and flashing – later using her art as a vehicle for others to understand her vision of the world.

Kusama was born in 1929 in the rural provincial town of Matsumoto, based in the central Nagano region of Japan.

Her parents did not support her early moves to study painting in Kyoto.

She was later told that her artistry caused great shame to her conservative family. Some elements of the US press also criticised what they perceived as an endless desire for publicity.

The world, along with her native Japan, radically changed its perception of Kusama in her later life.

Social media fuelled a spike in interest over recent years – with her museum's bold floral shapes and shiny steel orbs turning into a desired backdrop for selfies and posing.