Vibrant new book welcomes you to the flamboyant world of artist Yayoi Kusama

The New York Times wrote: “Yayoi Kusama transcended the art world to become a fixture of popular culture, in a league with Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and Keith Haring.” And when clapping eyes on the artist's vibrant, unmistakable works, it's difficult to argue with the point.

Yayoi Kusama with Dots Obsession Night, Tokyo, 2008. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (pages 6-7)

Yayoi Kusama with Dots Obsession Night, Tokyo, 2008. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (pages 6-7)

In the latest addition to Phaidon’s Contemporary Artists Series, Kusama – one of the most iconic and revolutionary artists of our time, internationally renowned for her boundary-pushing work on themes such as infinity, self-image, sexuality and compulsive repetition – is celebrated.

Published this October, the book by Akira Tatehata, Laura Hoptman, Udo Kultermann and Catherine Taft, coincides with the opening of a five-storey, Yayoi Kusama museum in Tokyo, alongside a major exhibition touring the US in 2017 and 2018, which includes dates at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Seattle Art Museum, The Broad in Los Angeles, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Taking the reader on a visual tour through the artist's remarkable, decades-long career – from the ‘Happenings,’ which featured naked participants in 1960s' New York, to her intensely immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms, Kusama's ability to communicate her artistic vision through various mediums is explored and documented in the book. With over 200 colour illustrations, it thoughtfully explores the paintings, drawings, sculpture, collages, ceramics and installations that make up her diverse portfolio.

Kusama has captured the imaginations of the art world and corporate world alike, having worked with an extensive range of brands during her career including BMW and Louis Vuitton. As an artist and pop-culture icon, Kusama has demonstrated an uncanny ability to remain in the spotlight and this timely publication offers the reader an opportunity to reflect on her unique body of work. Pre-order the book here from 30 October 2017.

All images courtesy of Phaidon

Yayoi Kusama, All The Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016, acrylic pumpkins, LED lighting, black glass, mirrors, wood, metal, 292 x 415 x 415 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (pages 184-185)

Yayoi Kusama, All The Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016, acrylic pumpkins, LED lighting, black glass, mirrors, wood, metal, 292 x 415 x 415 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (pages 184-185)

Yayoi Kusama, Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, 2009, wood, mirrors, plastic, acrylic, LED lights, water, aluminium, 287 x 415 x 415 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 199)

Yayoi Kusama, Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, 2009, wood, mirrors, plastic, acrylic, LED lights, water, aluminium, 287 x 415 x 415 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 199)

Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul, installation view, The National Art Center, Tokyo, 2017. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (pages 176-177)

Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul, installation view, The National Art Center, Tokyo, 2017. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (pages 176-177)

Yayoi Kusama, Flowers That Bloom at Midnight, 2009, FRP, steel structure, urethane paint, 485 x 200 x 203 cm, 300 x 175 x 210 cm, 215 x 210 x 130 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 186)

Yayoi Kusama, Flowers That Bloom at Midnight, 2009, FRP, steel structure, urethane paint, 485 x 200 x 203 cm, 300 x 175 x 210 cm, 215 x 210 x 130 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 186)

Yayoi Kusama, Lights Of The Heart, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 194 x 194 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 181)

Yayoi Kusama, Lights Of The Heart, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 194 x 194 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 181)

Yayoi Kusama, I Want to Live Honestly, Like the Eye in The Picture, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 130 x 162 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 183)

Yayoi Kusama, I Want to Live Honestly, Like the Eye in The Picture, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 130 x 162 cm. Picture credit: artwork © Yayoi Kusama (page 183)

3D Bookshot

3D Bookshot

Share

Get the best of Creative Boom delivered to your inbox weekly