IN PICTURES - Yayoi Kusama, from the New York avant-garde to global recognition

Yayoi Kusama, the influential Japanese artist celebrated for her immersive installations and signature polka dots, has died at the age of 97. Her passing marks the end of an era for contemporary art, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking work that challenged conventions and captivated audiences worldwide.

Kusama's career began in the vibrant avant-garde scene of New York in the 1960s. There, she was recognized as a pioneering figure, influencing and interacting with artists like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Her unique artistic language, often characterized by the obsessive repetition of motifs such as nets and dots, explored themes of infinity, self-obliteration, and psychological experience.

Her art, spanning painting, sculpture, performance, and installation, gained significant international recognition later in her career. Kusama's exhibitions became major cultural events, drawing massive crowds eager to experience her hallucinatory environments, such as the famous Infinity Mirror Rooms. Her distinctive style, deeply rooted in her personal experiences and psychological landscape, resonated universally, making her one of the most popular and recognized artists globally.

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Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama died at the age of 97. Considered a precursor to Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, she created a haunting work, marked in painting by the repetition of motifs, notably the net and the dot.