Yayoi Kusama // A Pumpkin (TWX), 2003

  • Yayoi Kusama, A Pumpkin (TWX), 2003. Acrylic on canvas, 15.4 × 22.5 cm. A small-scale pumpkin painting where Kusama transforms her iconic motif into a universal emblem of resilience and infinity.

    A Pumpkin (TWX), 2003
    Acrylic on canvas, 15.4 × 22.5 cm (7½ × 9 in.), framed: 28.7 × 35.7 cm (11¼ × 14 in.).

    © Yayoi Kusama. Image reproduced for educational and informational purposes only. 

     
    Painted in 2003, A Pumpkin (TWX) reflects Kusama’s enduring commitment to the pumpkin as her most celebrated motif. Small in scale yet rich in impact, the work demonstrates how the curved organic form of the pumpkin and its patterned surface provided an endless framework for her themes of obsession, repetition, and infinity. Even at this intimate size, Kusama imbues the subject with symbolic weight, transforming it from a familiar vegetable into a universal emblem.
     
    By the early 2000s, the pumpkin had become firmly established as Kusama’s signature image, appearing in paintings, sculptures, mirrored rooms, and monumental outdoor commissions. Works such as A Pumpkin (TWX) highlight how she could bring the same psychological intensity and visual clarity to a small canvas as to her most ambitious projects. The motif served not only as a personal talisman, rooted in her childhood memories, but also as a global icon that captured the humour, resilience, and humanity at the heart of her art.

  • “I love pumpkins because of their humorous form, warm feeling, and a human-like quality.”

     – Yayoi Kusama

    In works like A Pumpkin (TWX), Kusama demonstrates how a simple form can hold profound meaning. The pumpkin had been with her since childhood, offering a sense of comfort and familiarity that she carried into her art. By the 2000s, it had become not only a personal motif but also a visual signature recognised across the world, appearing in paintings, installations, and monumental sculptures. This dual role, both intimate and iconic, captures the essence of Kusama’s practice, where private memory transforms into universal symbol.