Yayoi Kusama // Pumpkin , 1991

  • Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin, 1991. Acrylic on canvas, 72.7 × 90.8 cm. Signed, titled, and dated. A 1990s work reflecting Kusama’s iconic pumpkin motif as a universal symbol of resilience and infinity.
    Pumpkin, 1991
    Acrylic on canvas, 72.7 × 90.8 cm (28 5/8 × 35 3/4 in.)
    © Yayoi Kusama. Image reproduced for educational and informational purposes only.
    Back to Yayoi Kusama Originals page
     
    Painted in 1991, this Pumpkin highlights the enduring importance of one of Kusama’s most iconic motifs. The pumpkin, which she first depicted in the late 1940s, had by the early 1990s become firmly established as a central emblem of her practice. In this acrylic on canvas, Kusama combines bold patterning and rhythmic accumulation with a monumental yet intimate presence, elevating the humble vegetable into a symbol of resilience, comfort, and personal memory.
     
    The early 1990s marked a resurgence of Kusama’s international career, as her distinctive motifs gained new recognition in exhibitions worldwide. Works such as this exemplify how she harnessed obsessive repetition to transform everyday subjects into universally resonant images. The pumpkin’s organic curves and patterned surface allowed her to explore both structure and infinity, positioning it as a timeless vessel for her themes of obsession and transcendence.

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

     – Yayoi Kusama

    This painting illustrates how the pumpkin became not only a personal totem for Kusama but also a cultural icon, embodying the fusion of her private symbolism with a universally recognisable form. What began as an image rooted in her childhood memories and psychological comfort evolved into one of the most enduring emblems of contemporary art. By the early 1990s, the pumpkin linked her avant-garde beginnings with the global fame she would achieve in the decades that followed, appearing across canvases, sculptures, and installations that brought her vision to audiences worldwide.