Yayoi Kusama Originals // 1950 - 1959

Yayoi Kusama, No. 10. F.B., 1959.
Pastel and India ink on mulberry paper on card, 60 × 70.8 cm.
Signed, dated, and inscribed on the reverse.
© Yayoi Kusama, Image reproduced for educational purposes only.

From the 1950s onwards, Yayoi Kusama developed the radical visual language that would define her career. Beginning with her early Infinity Net paintings and experimental performances in New York, she pushed the boundaries of abstraction, minimalism, and pop art.

This period laid the foundation for her later large-scale installations and iconic motifs, marking the start of a practice that continues to evolve more than six decades later.
"I transform the energy of my life into art, and through this I can survive."

- Yayoi Kusama

Before leaving Japan, Kusama destroyed much of her work from this formative period, a decision that underscored both her restlessness and her desire for reinvention. In 1957, she wrote to Georgia O’Keeffe, expressing concern that her style, which she described as “Oriental Cosmic Mysticism,” might not be understood in the United States.

The following year, Kusama relocated to New York, where her practice entered a new stage defined by large-scale paintings, radical performances, and the beginnings of the immersive installations that would later bring her international recognition.
1960s
ORIGINALS
Disclaimer:

All artworks by Yayoi Kusama are © Yayoi Kusama. Images are reproduced on this site solely for educational and informational purposes, to provide context and scholarship around the artist’s work. Geist does not claim copyright over any artworks or images displayed. All rights remain with the artist and original rights holders.