Exhibition of late artist Yayoi Kusama set to be "biggest ever" in Stedelijk Museum

The retrospective exhibition of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam will be “the biggest exhibition we have ever had,” a spokesperson said. “The entire ‘bathtub,’ the museum’s extension to the original building, has been filled with Kusama’s work. While that has been done before, this exhibition goes a step further by bringing her signature style outdoors. Trees on Museumplein have been wrapped in red and white polka dots, while the building’s façade has been decorated with colorful dots.”

The news of the 97-year-old Kusama’s passing last month led to a run on pre-sale tickets for the exhibition. The first few days and all the weekends in September have been sold out. The expo in the Stedelijk will open on September 11 for the public and will continue up to January 17.

The spokesperson said this is the final exhibition to which Yayoi Kusama herself contributed her finishing touches. Very recent work will be showcased, which has been put opposite works from her youth. Even then, she would paint the spots that made her a global name. “As a child she saw the spots as hallucinations, as a type of veil.” To her, the “polkadots” were a symbol of infinity.

Kusama became famous not only for her signature dots, but also for her art depicting pumpkins and mirror rooms. These artworks will be showcased in large sizes in Amsterdam. The upper floor features an installation of mirrors and polka-dotted, tentacle-like forms specially created by Kusama for the exhibition.

Yayoi Kusama was born in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1929. She began her career in Japan, but emigrated to the United States in 1956, where she experimented with painting, sculptures, film, and fashion. She regularly stayed in the Netherlands in the 60s. She returned to Japan in 1973, where she eventually passed away.