Yayoi Kusama // Flower, 1953

  • Yayoi Kusama, Flower, 1953. Gouache, acrylic, and pastel on paper, 35.8 × 32.3 cm. Floral composition, signed, titled, and dated on the reverse.
    Flower, 1953
    Gouache, acrylic and pastel on paper, 35.8 × 32.3 cm (14 1/8 × 12¾ in.)
    © Yayoi Kusama. Image reproduced for educational and informational purposes only.
     
    Made in 1953, Flower demonstrates Yayoi Kusama’s early experimentation with gouache, acrylic, and pastel on paper. At the age of 24, she was testing how different media could be layered to achieve new visual effects, exploring texture, opacity, and colour interaction. This period was crucial in the development of her artistic vocabulary, as she pushed traditional materials in innovative directions.
     
    The floral subject reflects Kusama’s enduring fascination with natural motifs. Flowers, plants, and organic forms became central elements in her visual language, reappearing across decades in her paintings, sculptures, and large-scale installations. Flower offers insight into the foundations of these recurring themes, showing how her early work bridged personal vision with formal experimentation.

  • “Polka dots and flowers are the symbols of the love I have for the earth.”

    – Yayoi Kusama

    The sheet, measuring 35.8 × 32.3 cm, is built up through overlapping applications of pastel, gouache, and acrylic. Pastel gives the composition a soft, textured quality, while gouache and acrylic provide sharper lines and areas of strong colour. The result is a stylised rendering of a flower that reduces the form to essentials rather than detailed description. Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse, the work reflects Kusama’s focus on recording her authorship even in these early years.