Exhibition/event has ended.
Yayoi Kusama: Portraying the Figurative
Yayoi Kusama Museum
FinishedReservation Required
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Artists
Yayoi Kusama
The sketchbooks from Yayoi Kusama’s teenage years contain numerous studies of flora and fauna, accurately portrayed with fine details. While Kusama is widely recognized for her abstract paintings characterized by the repetition of singular motifs, her early emphasis on observation and figurative depictions through sketches formed the foundation of her artistic journey, serving as a means of translating her visions and inner perceptions into figurative forms.
This exhibition focuses on the diverse trajectories of Kusama’s figurative works, spanning from the 1940s to the present day. Most artworks offer detailed and figurative portrayals of familiar motifs, such as animals, plants, and everyday objects. Works include early sketches and traditional Japanese paintings from before her move to the United States, collages that she worked on intensively from the 1970s to the 1990s, as well as prints she has been producing prolifically since 1979.
This exhibition will also display several series of paintings representative of Kusama’s more recent endeavors since 2000. Selected works that feature motifs such as self-portraits and mysterious figures painted freely across canvases of varying sizes will be showcased. These works are characterized by figurative images, such as profiles or eyes, repeated to fill the entirety of the canvas, creating an appearance that closely resembles allover abstract art. Highlighting one of Kusama’s most favored themes, the pumpkin motif, we will present an installation of the mirror room created in commemoration of the museum’s inauguration along with a separate large-scale sculpture. Moreover, the latest soft sculpture-covered boat, a concept first introduced by Kusama in the 1960s, is set to have its world premiere.
This exhibition focuses on the diverse trajectories of Kusama’s figurative works, spanning from the 1940s to the present day. Most artworks offer detailed and figurative portrayals of familiar motifs, such as animals, plants, and everyday objects. Works include early sketches and traditional Japanese paintings from before her move to the United States, collages that she worked on intensively from the 1970s to the 1990s, as well as prints she has been producing prolifically since 1979.
This exhibition will also display several series of paintings representative of Kusama’s more recent endeavors since 2000. Selected works that feature motifs such as self-portraits and mysterious figures painted freely across canvases of varying sizes will be showcased. These works are characterized by figurative images, such as profiles or eyes, repeated to fill the entirety of the canvas, creating an appearance that closely resembles allover abstract art. Highlighting one of Kusama’s most favored themes, the pumpkin motif, we will present an installation of the mirror room created in commemoration of the museum’s inauguration along with a separate large-scale sculpture. Moreover, the latest soft sculpture-covered boat, a concept first introduced by Kusama in the 1960s, is set to have its world premiere.
Schedule | Apr 27 (Sat) 2024-Sep 1 (Sun) 2024 Reservation RequiredOpening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥1100; High School, Junior High and Elementary School Students ¥600; Infants free. (Tickets available only on the museum website) | ||||||
| Venue | Yayoi Kusama Museum http://yayoikusamamuseum.jp/  | ||||||
| Location | 107 Benten-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0851 | ||||||
| Access | 6 minute walk from the East exit of Ushigome-yanagicho Station on the Toei Oedo line, 7 minute walk from exit 1 at Waseda Station on the Tozai line, 9 minute walk from exit 2 at Kagurazaka Station on the Tozai line. | ||||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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