Yayoi Kusama’s Love Dots
When I saw the pictures of Yayoi Kusama’s artwork in the paper about her upcoming exhibition at the Hirshhorn museum, I recalled one of the first posts I had written on Art Is Everywhere. It happened to be her polka dot artwork in the art exhibit “Happenings.” She loves dots and uses them with mirrors, along with and on pumpkins. The exhibit is supposed to be a sensory explosion. The Hirshhorn anticipates it being a blockbuster show and is giving out free timed passes. The artist is 87 years old and still causing quite a stir with dots — just in time to enjoy for Valentine’s Day during this month of love.
Update – 9.10.26:
I was very saddened to learn of the passing of Yaroi Kusama on August 14, 2026, which also holds particular significance to a family death on the same day.
People loved her work but didn’t know much about her. I was guilty of not realizing her connections to other great artists.
I loved her hypnotic patterning, expressive sense of color & unconventional spirit.
I dedicated a Halloween pumpkin last year in her honor. It was harder to create than I thought it would be. She was our modern-day Seurat!
Her story is fascinating, especially knowing that she reached out to Georgia O’Keefe who’s work I love, and Joseph Cornell, another one of my favorite contemporary artists, who people thought was crazy, and even Warhol, who she thought copied her work, to help propel her career.
She checked herself into a psychiatric ward in Tokyo where she had moved back home and lived the rest of her days.
Ironically, her artwork went viral as she became more secluded but it filled others with joy.
casart
I'm an artist, wife and mother of two boys. I started my illustration business, The Occasional Palette over 35 years ago, when my oldest son was an infant. Once my children were in school, I began painting decorative, faux finishes and murals through my second business, Casart, now over 30 years old. My third business, Casart Coverings, is a springboard from my second. Click on the link on the sidebar to see innovative, custom, designer wallcovering, removable and reusable wallpaper and coordinating decor.
