World-renowned Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama died in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97, just weeks after the close of her record-breaking exhibition at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
The major retrospective in Cologne, which ran from March 14 to August 2, 2026, generated unprecedented hype and attracted more than 450,000 visitors, making it the most successful exhibition in the Museum Ludwig's history. Over 300 works spanning seven decades were on display.
Yayoi Kusama died peacefully in hospital from multiple organ failure. She was world-famous for her psychedelic polka dots and net-like structures, which stemmed from hallucinations and obsessive-compulsive disorder she experienced since childhood.
"It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Yayoi Kusama, who passed away at the age of 97. Kusama herself devoted to a life as an avant-garde artist, working primarily in the visual arts while also extending her practice to performance, novels, poetry, and other forms of expression. She continued to paint until the very end, remaining steadfast to her lifelong belief that love can save the world." we quote David Zwirner, gallery owner.
He explains: "It’s been one of the great privileges of my professional life to have been able to represent Yayoi Kusama’s extraordinary art for the last fifteen years. The last time Kusama visited New York, a city where she lived for many years, was in 2013. During that visit, she opened the first of many exhibitions in our galleries that had hour-long lines for the chance to experience her work. Her steadfast message of love and peace has now reached millions of admirers around the globe. At the time of her passing, Kusama was, without a doubt, the most famous living artist in the world.
Earlier this summer, I was reminded again of Kusama’s genius when I visited her career retrospective at the Museum Ludwig in my hometown of Cologne; the exhibition presented more than 300 works, from her childhood drawings to the present. Kusama's art influenced the histories of minimalism, pop art, and performance art; more recently her large-scale installations single-handedly pioneered what is now referred to as experiential art. Shortly after my visit to the Museum Ludwig, they announced that this exhibition had become the most successful in its history. Kusama must have been pleased to read this. I will miss her terribly."
gosee.news was fortunate enough to experience one of the artist's truly unique exhibitions in New York at Zwirner Museum during a private tour led by Veroniq Ansorge, Senior Director of Zwirner.
"Her message of love and peace has reached millions of admirers around the globe. At the time of her passing, Kusama was the most famous living artist in the world." Veronique Ansorge, Senior Director of Zwirner.
Yayoi Kusama, born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, had her first solo exhibition there in 1952. By the mid-1960s, she had established herself in New York as one of the leading avant-garde artists through groundbreaking performances, happenings, events, and exhibitions. Her work gained widespread recognition in 1989 with solo exhibitions at the Center for International Contemporary Arts, New York, and the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford.
She represented Japan at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, receiving great acclaim. In 1998, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, jointly organized the exhibition "Love Forever: Yayoi Kusama, 1958–1968," which subsequently traveled to the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.
Following its great success in Cologne, the international traveling exhibition will move to Amsterdam and will be on display at the Stedelijk Museum from September 12, 2026.
Here is the link to the article about the gallery visit in New York mentioned above.
