171
Yayoi Kusama
Rock Spirit
- Estimate
- $30,000 - 50,000
$62,500
Lot Details
ink and gouache on paper
10 3/4 x 8 in. (27.3 x 20.3 cm)
Signed and dated "Yayoi Kusama 1953" lower left.
This work is registered by the Yayoi Kusama Studio.
This work is registered by the Yayoi Kusama Studio.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
One day while in a bookshop in her hometown of Matsumoto in 1955, Yayoi Kusama found a book of paintings by Georgia O’Keefe. Kusama had long dreamed of leaving her homeland for the United States, and after seeing O’Keefe’s paintings decided to take a train to Tokyo to visit the American embassy. There she leafed through their copy of Who’s Who and located O’Keefe’s address. The two quickly became pen pals, and soon Kusama found the courage to make her journey across the Pacific. Kusama landed in America on November 18, 1957 with sixty silk kimonos and 2,000 drawings and paintings to her name. Seattle was the very first city she stepped foot in, where she was introduced to the gallerist Zoe Dusanne. Dusanne gave Kusama her first solo show that same year. It featured twenty-six watercolors and pastels, including the present work, Rock Spirit.
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.