ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Global Tributes Pour In for Yayoi Kusama Following Her Death at 97

artist · 2026-08-27

Following the death of Yayoi Kusama at age 97, artists, galleries, museums, and fashion houses worldwide have taken to social media to honor her legacy. The Japanese artist, known for her dotted pumpkins and immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms, redefined pop avant-garde with works that served as social commentary and public protest. Tributes include Glenn Scott Wright, president of Victoria Miro Gallery, who recalled decades of friendship and teatime visits; Dean Sameshima, who shared photos of Kusama's 1998 performance at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood; and Katy Hessel, British art historian, who emphasized the significance of Kusama's dots. The Museum Ludwig in Cologne concluded a major retrospective on August 2, just 12 days before her death, attracting over 480,000 visitors—the most successful exhibition in the institution's history. Sondra Meszaros, a Calgary-based artist, paid homage to Kusama's 'Love Forever' philosophy, referencing badges distributed at a 2012 Whitney Museum exhibition. The Louisiana Channel posted images of editor Christian Lund greeting Kusama, with a newsletter detailing the exchange forthcoming. David Zwirner, who represented Kusama since 2013, called her 'the most famous living artist in the world' and noted her six solo exhibitions at his gallery, including the 2023 show 'Yayoi Kusama: I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers,' which drew long lines. Louis Vuitton and other fashion houses also joined the flood of tributes on Instagram.

Key facts

  • Yayoi Kusama died at age 97.
  • Kusama was known for dotted pumpkins and Infinity Mirror Rooms.
  • Glenn Scott Wright of Victoria Miro Gallery shared a tribute.
  • Dean Sameshima recalled Kusama's 1998 performance at Chateau Marmont.
  • Katy Hessel commented on Kusama's dots.
  • Museum Ludwig's retrospective ended August 2, attracting over 480,000 visitors.
  • Sondra Meszaros honored Kusama's 'Love Forever' philosophy.
  • David Zwirner represented Kusama since 2013 and had six solo shows.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Victoria Miro Gallery
  • Museum Ludwig
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Louisiana Channel
  • Louisiana Museum of Art
  • David Zwirner Gallery
  • Louis Vuitton
  • Kyoto School of Arts and Crafts
  • Art Students League of New York
  • Brata Gallery
  • Castellane Gallery
  • Venice Biennale
  • New York Stock Exchange
  • Museum of Modern Art
  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
  • Tate
  • Gres Gallery
  • Ota Fine Arts
  • Fuji TV Gallery
  • ArtAsiaPacific
  • Leo Castelli's gallery
  • David Zwirner
  • MoMA
  • Richard Castellane Gallery
  • Seiwa Hospital for the Mentally Ill
  • ArtReview
  • Fondation Beyeler
  • Tate Modern
  • Centre Pompidou
  • Matsumoto City Museum of Art
  • NGV Triennial
  • Gropius Bau Museum
  • M+
  • Yayoi Kusama Foundation
  • Victoria Miro
  • Fondation Louis Vuitton
  • Buffalo AKG Art Museum
  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
  • Connaissance des Arts
  • Les Abattoirs
  • FRAC Occitanie Toulouse
  • Queensland Art Gallery
  • Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP)
  • Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy
  • Benesse House Museum
  • Dallas Museum of Art
  • The Glass House
  • Inhotim
  • Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts
  • Biennale di Venezia
  • Stedelijk Museum
  • Yayoi Kusama Studio
  • Seiwa mental hospital
  • Hirshhorn Museum
  • Yayoi Kusama Museum
  • M+ Museum
  • New York Botanical Garden
  • Kyoto City University of Arts
  • New York Times
  • Christie's
  • Ketterer
  • Koller
  • Ahrenshooper Kunstauktionen
  • Bildgießerei Barth
  • The Guardian
  • BBC
  • OTA Fine Arts
  • ARTE.it
  • Le Monde
  • Süddeutsche Zeitung
  • The New York Times
  • Architectural Digest
  • Yayoi Kusama Inc
  • TIME Magazine
  • Center for International Contemporary Arts
  • Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
  • ARTnews
  • Kusama Fashion Company
  • Bloomingdale's
  • Internationale Galerij Orez
  • Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
  • Seiwa Hospital
  • Contemporary Art Issue
  • Artlyst
  • Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
  • QAGOMA
  • Arte al Límite
  • Museo Tamayo
  • National Gallery of Victoria
  • Lancôme
  • X-girl
  • The Art Newspaper
  • Time
  • National Art Center Tokyo
  • Kusama Foundation
  • OGR Torino
  • National Museum of Modern Art
  • Smithsonian Institute
  • Aviva Studios
  • The Washington Post
  • MSN

Locations

  • Cologne
  • Germany
  • West Hollywood
  • United States
  • Calgary
  • Canada
  • New York
  • Tokyo
  • Japan
  • Matsumoto
  • New York City
  • Venice
  • Italy
  • Paris
  • France
  • Hong Kong
  • Washington, DC
  • Kyoto
  • Venice Biennale
  • Naoshima Island
  • Woodstock
  • Naoshima
  • London
  • Riehen
  • Basel
  • Melbourne
  • Berlin
  • United Kingdom
  • Amsterdam
  • Netherlands
  • Central Park
  • Wall Street
  • Place Vendôme
  • Champs-Élysées
  • Toulouse
  • Australia
  • Seto Inland Sea
  • Connecticut
  • Brazil
  • Nancy
  • Switzerland
  • Seattle
  • Europe
  • Washington DC
  • Scheveningen
  • Matsumoto, Japan
  • New York, USA
  • Scheveningen, Netherlands
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • Washington DC, USA
  • Paris, France
  • Bronx, USA
  • Hong Kong, China
  • Cologne, Germany
  • Munich
  • Zurich
  • Ahrenshoop
  • Gelsenkirchen
  • Lake Geneva
  • Caux
  • Milan
  • Manchester
  • Nagano Prefecture
  • Rockaway Peninsula
  • Liverpool Street Station
  • Oxford
  • The Hague
  • Delft
  • Schiedam
  • Dallas
  • Queensland
  • Mexico City
  • Matsumoto City
  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Turin
  • Sydney
  • Chelsea

Sources

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