A retrospective exhibition of the late Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama opens to the public at the Stedelijk Museum on 11 September. A museum spokesperson called the show the biggest exhibition the institution has ever held.
Kusama, who passed away last month at age 97, contributed finishing touches to the exhibition herself. The display runs through 17 January.
Dots across Museumplein
The entire modern extension of the museum, known as the bathtub, contains Kusama’s work. Her signature style also extends outside, where colourful dots decorate the building’s facade and red and white polka dots wrap trees across Museumplein.
News of the artist’s death sparked high demand for pre-sale tickets. Admission is already sold out for the opening days and every weekend in September.
Career spanning decades
The exhibition pairs Kusama’s very recent work with pieces from her youth. She painted spots from childhood, viewing them as hallucinations and a veil, and later treated polka dots as a symbol of infinity.
Large installations featuring her well-known pumpkins and mirror rooms are included in the show. The upper floor contains a special installation of mirrors and polka-dotted tentacle shapes that Kusama created specifically for this display.
Born in Matsumoto in 1929, Kusama began her career in Japan before moving to the United States in 1956 to work across painting, sculpture, film, and fashion. She stayed regularly in the Netherlands during the 1960s before returning in 1973 to Japan, where she lived until her death.
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