Infinity Rooms artist dies at 97
Acclaimed Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama has passed away at the age of 97. Known for her Infinity Mirror Rooms and iconic dot-covered works, she was a commercial success who used art to cope with lifelong mental health struggles.
Why it matters
Kusama was a globally influential figure in contemporary art whose work challenged perceptions of space and identity.
Hear this story Yayoi Kusama , the acclaimed Japanese avant-garde artist who transformed her hallucinations into works that ranged from vibrant dot-covered paintings and pumpkin sculptures to infinity mirror room installations, has died at the age of 97.
Diminutive and known for sporting a scarlet bob wig later in life, Kusama was candid about her mental health struggles, saying she experienced visions and hallucinations of flashing lights, dots and flowers since childhood.
"I still see hallucinations even now," she told reporters in 2017. "Dots come flying everywhere – on my dress, the floor, things I'm carrying, throughout the house, the ceiling. And I paint them."
Kusama died in hospital on Aug. 14, according to a statement by the Yayoi Kusama Museum , adding that she continued to paint until her final days. No cause of death was given.
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