Yayoi Kusama Named One of Time's 100 Most Influential People, Only Visual Artist on 2016 List

Time magazine has released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2016, and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is the sole representative of the visual arts in the Artists category. The list, published on Thursday, includes figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Pope Francis, Caitlyn Jenner, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin in other categories. Kusama's inclusion follows previous visual artists honored in the same category: Chris Ofili in 2015, Marina Abramović in 2014, and Ed Ruscha in 2013. The Artists category also features actors Charlize Theron, Mark Rylance, Oscar Isaac, Idris Elba, and Gael García Bernal, as well as two Italians: Riccardo Tisci, creative director of Givenchy, and writer Elena Ferrante, whose true identity remains unknown.