Yayoi Kusama // Stars 1953

  • Yayoi Kusama, Stars, 1953. Oil, pastel, and gouache on paper, 37 × 37 cm. Celestial composition with layered marks suggesting constellations.
    Stars, 1953
    Oil, pastel and gouache on paper, 37 × 37 cm
    © Yayoi Kusama. Image reproduced for educational and informational purposes only.

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    Painted in 1953, Stars reflects Yayoi Kusama’s exploration of cosmic imagery during the early years of her career in Japan. Executed in oil, pastel, and gouache on paper, the square composition combines luminous colour with layered mark-making.
     
    At just 24 years old, Kusama was beginning to channel personal visions into bold and imaginative forms, laying the groundwork for the celestial and infinite themes that would later dominate her Infinity Nets and immersive installations.

  • “I translate the hallucinations and obsessional images that plague me into sculptures and paintings. All my works have their roots in this.”

    – Yayoi Kusama

    The 37 × 37 cm sheet is worked with layers of gouache and pastel, overlaid with passages of oil. Marks are distributed across the surface in patterns that suggest constellations, balancing dense clusters with open space. The title Stars links the composition to natural imagery, while the handling of line and colour leans towards abstraction. The work demonstrates Kusama’s early focus on repetition, structure, and the translation of observed or imagined forms into ordered arrangements.