Yayoi Kusama // Butterfly, 1985

  • Yayoi Kusama, Butterfly, 1985. Screenprint, 45 × 53 cm, edition of 100. Depicts Kusama’s stylised butterfly motif rendered with bold colour and repeating patterns, characteristic of her mid-1980s print works.
    Butterfly, 1985
    Screenprint, 45 × 53 cm, Edition of 100
    © Yayoi Kusama.
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    Yayoi Kusama’s Butterfly (1985) is a screenprint measuring 45 × 53 cm, produced in an edition of 100. The work reflects Kusama’s ongoing interest in organic motifs, with the butterfly serving as both a natural subject and a symbolic form. Its bold contours and rhythmic detailing transform the fragile insect into an emblem of beauty, transformation, and infinity.
     
    In this print, the butterfly is abstracted through Kusama’s graphic approach, appearing almost as a patterned field rather than a singular creature. The result is an image that radiates energy and repetition, capturing both the delicacy of the natural form and the psychological depth present across her practice.
     
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  • “I have always been interested in infinity, in the endless repetition of life.”

     — Yayoi Kusama

    As with many of her editioned works from the 1980s, Butterfly demonstrates Kusama’s ability to elevate everyday natural imagery into a universal symbol. The print reflects her fascination with cycles of metamorphosis and growth, while reaffirming her lifelong exploration of pattern, rhythm, and boundless imagination.