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.
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
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