Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese visual artist, died on August 14 in Tokyo at the age of 97, according to a statement posted on her website.

Born on March 22, 1929, in Matsumoto, Japan, she grew up in a family that ran a plant nursery. She reported experiencing vivid hallucinations from childhood and began painting them under the guidance of a psychiatrist.

Kusama studied traditional Japanese painting at Kyoto City University of Arts before moving to New York in 1958. She exhibited abstract “Infinity Net” paintings at the Brata Gallery in 1959, where a review in ARTnews described her work as original.

During the 2010s, her “infinity mirror” installations attracted large audiences on social media, leading to exhibitions at institutions such as the Hirshhorn Museum and the Tate Modern. The 2017 Hirshhorn exhibition, which displayed six of her rooms, caused the museum’s website to crash due to high traffic.

Kusama struggled with mental health issues throughout her life. After a series of breakdowns and suicide attempts, she entered a psychiatric hospital in Japan in 1975 and remained a resident thereafter. She continued to produce art from a studio adjacent to the hospital.

A 1989 retrospective organized by curator Alexandra Munroe at the Center for International Contemporary Arts marked her return to prominence. She later represented Japan at the 1993 Venice Biennale and received the Praemium Imperiale in 2006. She opened a museum dedicated to her work in Tokyo.

Kusama’s polka‑dot motif appeared on merchandise, fashion collaborations with designers such as Marc Jacobs, and a balloon for the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Her work has been licensed for tote bags, shirts, and other products.

In 2023, a statement in her 2002 autobiography describing Black people as violent and hypersexual was resurfaced. She issued an apology to the San Francisco Chronicle, saying her intention has always been to promote love, hope, and respect.

Kusama’s legacy endures through her extensive body of work, her influence on contemporary art, and the continued public interest in her installations.