Yayoi Kusama

YAYOI KUSAMA (Matsumoto, Nagano, 1929 – Tokyo, 2026).
"Red Pumpkin," 2015.
Hand-painted cast resin.
Open edition.
With “© YAYOI KUSAMA” copyright stamp on the base.
Published by Benesse Holdings, Inc., Naoshima, Japan.
Comes with its original presentation box.
Provenance: private collection, Japan.
Measurements: 10 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm.

The pumpkin is one of the most recognizable and personal motifs in Yayoi Kusama’s creative universe. In *Red Pumpkin*, the artist combines its characteristic organic, lobed shape with a profusion of red polka dots of varying sizes, arranged to follow the fruit’s contours. The contrast between red and white intensifies the piece’s graphic quality and transforms the repetition of the dot into a device capable of visually altering the perception of the surface.

The edition is closely linked to Naoshima, where Kusama’s relationship with the Benesse Art Site began early on. In 1994, her famous yellow Pumpkin was installed there, while in 2006 she unveiled the monumental Red Pumpkin in Miyanoura Harbor, now one of the island’s landmarks.

Yayoi Kusama was one of the leading figures of the international avant-garde in the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century. After moving to the United States in 1957, she developed her famous Infinity Nets, accumulation sculptures, happenings, and immersive installations in New York. Throughout her career, she has exhibited at some of the world’s leading international institutions and represented Japan at the 1993 Venice Biennale. Among other honors, she received the Praemium Imperiale in 2006 and the Order of Culture of Japan in 2016; in 2017, the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in Tokyo. The artist passed away in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97.