Overview
- Yayoi Kusama died at a Tokyo hospital on Aug. 14, 2026, a date confirmed by her companies and foundation in a public statement released on Aug. 27.
- The Yayoi Kusama Foundation and her studio reported multiple organ failure as the cause and said she continued to paint until shortly before her death.
- A private family funeral has taken place and a public memorial is planned at a later date, with museums and galleries reworking recent and upcoming exhibitions as part of the commemoration.
- Kusama built a global, commercially powerful practice over more than seven decades with signature motifs—polka dots, nets, pumpkins—and immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms that drew millions of visitors and high auction prices.
- Her work was rooted in childhood hallucinations and a philosophy she called 'self‑obliteration,' and her foundation, galleries and museum in Tokyo will now shape how her vast catalogue, touring retrospectives and commercial collaborations are conserved and displayed.