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Starry Pumpkin

2016
Materials: fiberglass reinforced plastic and tile
142 см x 146 см
Category: sculpture
Item Number: 154708
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About the Work
About the Artist

Starry Pumpkin, 2016

Fiberglass reinforced plastic and tile

Yayoi Kusama (March 22, 1929 – August 14, 2026) was an iconic Japanese contemporary artist globally renowned for her extensive use of polka dots, hallucinatory patterns, and groundbreaking immersive installations. Working across painting, sculpture, performance, and fashion, she became one of the most influential and top-selling female artists in modern history.

Early Life and Visions (1929–1956)

• Birth: Born in Matsumoto, Japan, to a prosperous family running a plant nursery.

• Hallucinations: Began experiencing vivid auditory and visual hallucinations at age ten, often seeing fields of dots that threatened to consume her.

• Art as Survival: Started drawing polka dots to cope with her mental health and escape an abusive, unsupportive family dynamic.

• Early Education: Briefly studied Nihonga (a rigid, traditional Japanese painting style) in Kyoto, which she found deeply frustrating