Yayoi Kusama

YAYOI KUSAMA (Matsumoto, Japan, 1929 – Tokyo, 2026).
“I Want to Sing My Heart Out in Praise of Life,” 2009.
Color offset lithograph on paper.
Unsigned. Edition unknown.
Published by the Matsumoto City Museum of Art, Matsumoto, Japan.
Provenance: private collection, Japan.
Measurements: 40 x 40 cm.

Created in 2009, this composition brings together some of the most characteristic motifs of Yayoi Kusama’s creative universe, such as the obsessive repetition of dots, organic forms, and the proliferation of images. Against a white background, schematic faces, eyes, and cell-like structures intertwine in a vibrant combination of red and black. The accumulation of elements creates an expansive visual rhythm, closely tied to the idea of infinity that runs through her entire body of work. The title, which can be translated as “I Want to Sing with All My Heart in Praise of Life,” reflects the vitalistic dimension of her imagination, in which artistic creation becomes an affirmation of existence.

A leading figure in Japanese contemporary art, Yayoi Kusama settled in New York in 1957, where she actively participated in the avant-garde movements. Her work, which spans painting, sculpture, installations, and performances, explores concepts such as repetition, infinity, and the dissolution of the individual. In 1993, she represented Japan at the Venice Biennale, cementing her international recognition. In 2009, she began the painting series *My Eternal Soul*, characterized by chromatic exuberance and a proliferation of organic motifs. A recipient of the Praemium Imperiale in 2006 and the Order of Culture of Japan in 2016, she has exhibited at international museums such as the Tate Modern in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the MoMA in New York. In 2017, a museum dedicated to her work opened in Tokyo.