-
The Configuration of Desire, 1954
Gouache and ink on paper laid down on paperboard, 51.4 × 45.7 cm (20 1⁄4 × 18 in.)
© Yayoi Kusama. Image reproduced for educational and informational purposes only. -
“Without obsession, life is nothing. Obsession is the wellspring of my art.”
– Yayoi Kusama
The work measures 51.4 × 45.7 cm and is signed and dated multiple times, both on the sheet and on the backing board. This attention to documentation reflects Kusama’s habit of reinforcing authorship in her early years. The composition relies on layered washes of gouache offset by precise ink lines, producing a surface that balances fluidity with control. The abstract quality of the image connects to her growing interest in repetition, structure, and the translation of interior visions into external form.