115
Yayoi Kusama
Souls of the Earth Breathing in the Galaxy
- Estimate
- HK$450,000 - 650,000€51,200 - 73,900$57,700 - 83,300
HK$1,000,000
Lot Details
collage, pastel, ink, cloth on paper
signed and dated 'Yayoi Kusama 1975' upper right; further signed, titled and dated 'Yayoi Kusama 1975 "Souls of the Earth Breathing in the Galaxy [in Japanese]"' on the reverse
38 x 53 cm. (14 7/8 x 20 7/8 in.)
Executed in 1975, this work is accompanied by a registration card issued by the artist's studio.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
“In December 1975 I held my first solo show since my return to Japan, Message of Death from Hades, at the Nishimura Gallery in Tokyo. It featured a large number of collages.” Yayoi Kusama in Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama, London, 2013
People I've Known, People I've Loved
Returning to Japan in 1973, depleted by the depression of a declining career in New York due to the changing political climate in America, Yayoi Kusama relocated to Tokyo and was forced to essentially reboot her career. In stark contrast to her wild New York happenings and controversial phallic sculptures, this period of her life became a sombre reflection on grief following the death of her partner and close friend, Joseph Cornell. It was during this time that Kusama began intensively creating collages, acting as a memento mori, examining the transient nature of life and inevitability of death. These reflected her projected persona, a representation of her physical appearance and psyche at the time. Such dark collages may appear at odds with the rest of her body of work, yet like the present lots My Soul Goes to the Sky and Souls of the Earth that Inhabit the Galaxy, they offer a glimpse into an important period in the artist’s life.
Kusama first met Cornell in 1962 through an art dealer, and the two formed an unlikely bond, a passionate yet platonic relationship, one that lasted many years. Infatuated by her beauty, Cornell began showering her with endless letters and poetry, gifting her with his famously exclusive boxes filled with found objects, pages from old books, pictures of birds and butterflies and dime-store trinkets. Carrying Cornell’s box filled with his own collage materials back to Japan, Kusama began assembling her collages using some of the materials he had left her, as an intimate tribute to her dearest friend. Both works are at once poetic and quietly introspective, hinting at unreachable realms beyond their surfaces.
Exhibited at Kusama’s first solo show since her return to Japan, Souls of the Earth that Inhabit the Galaxy offers a particularly poignant image that recalls her longing for unbounded freedom; reminiscent of her relationship with Cornell while also incorporating subtle traces of her ubiquitous Infinity Net motif.
People I've Known, People I've Loved
Returning to Japan in 1973, depleted by the depression of a declining career in New York due to the changing political climate in America, Yayoi Kusama relocated to Tokyo and was forced to essentially reboot her career. In stark contrast to her wild New York happenings and controversial phallic sculptures, this period of her life became a sombre reflection on grief following the death of her partner and close friend, Joseph Cornell. It was during this time that Kusama began intensively creating collages, acting as a memento mori, examining the transient nature of life and inevitability of death. These reflected her projected persona, a representation of her physical appearance and psyche at the time. Such dark collages may appear at odds with the rest of her body of work, yet like the present lots My Soul Goes to the Sky and Souls of the Earth that Inhabit the Galaxy, they offer a glimpse into an important period in the artist’s life.
Kusama first met Cornell in 1962 through an art dealer, and the two formed an unlikely bond, a passionate yet platonic relationship, one that lasted many years. Infatuated by her beauty, Cornell began showering her with endless letters and poetry, gifting her with his famously exclusive boxes filled with found objects, pages from old books, pictures of birds and butterflies and dime-store trinkets. Carrying Cornell’s box filled with his own collage materials back to Japan, Kusama began assembling her collages using some of the materials he had left her, as an intimate tribute to her dearest friend. Both works are at once poetic and quietly introspective, hinting at unreachable realms beyond their surfaces.
Exhibited at Kusama’s first solo show since her return to Japan, Souls of the Earth that Inhabit the Galaxy offers a particularly poignant image that recalls her longing for unbounded freedom; reminiscent of her relationship with Cornell while also incorporating subtle traces of her ubiquitous Infinity Net motif.
Provenance
Exhibited
Yayoi Kusama
JapaneseNamed "the world's most popular artist" in 2015, it's not hard to see why Yayoi Kusama continues to dazzle contemporary art audiences globally. From her signature polka dots—"fabulous," she calls them—to her mirror-and-light Infinity Rooms, Kusama's multi-dimensional practice of making art elevates the experience of immersion. To neatly pin an artistic movement onto Kusama would be for naught: She melds and transcends the aesthetics and theories of many late twentieth century movements, including Pop Art and Minimalism, without ever taking a singular path.
As an nonagenarian who still lives in Tokyo and steadfastly paints in her studio every day, Kusama honed her punchy cosmic style in New York City in the 1960s. During this period, she staged avant-garde happenings, which eventually thrust her onto the international stage with a series of groundbreaking exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in the 1980s and the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993. She continues to churn out paintings and installations at inspiring speed, exhibiting internationally in nearly every corner of the globe, and maintains a commanding presence on the primary market and at auction.
Browse ArtistAs an nonagenarian who still lives in Tokyo and steadfastly paints in her studio every day, Kusama honed her punchy cosmic style in New York City in the 1960s. During this period, she staged avant-garde happenings, which eventually thrust her onto the international stage with a series of groundbreaking exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in the 1980s and the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993. She continues to churn out paintings and installations at inspiring speed, exhibiting internationally in nearly every corner of the globe, and maintains a commanding presence on the primary market and at auction.