Acrylic on canvas

53×45.5 cm 20 7/8×17 7/8 in

PROVENANCE
Whitestone Gallery， Tokyo
Important private collection， Asia

This work is accompanied by a Yayoi Kusama’s Art Work Registration Card issued by Yayoi Kusama studioThe Queen of Avant-garde
A Monologue on Yayoi Kusama
“I am avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama， and I am the best artist in the world.” This is how Yayoi Kusama introduced herself at an exhibition press conference. Very few artist would have the confidence to declare themselves as holding such a status； the majority of artists would think they are the best of the best， but this designation is one that was imparted upon them by others. However， Kusama’s opening reveals her lifelong relentless pursuit of “avant-garde” and “art，” constantly challenging herself to create， what is in her mind， the best art possible. Riding on the wave of her confidence， conceit， and high standards， she continues to adhere to her spirit and push forward heedless of the hardships she encounters along the way.
Yayoi Kusama was born in Nagano Prefecture， Japan in 1929. Her family was a garden wholesaler with over 100 years of history， which sparked her interest in plants from a young age. At a young age， she was diagnosed with a neurotic disorder which lead her to begin having auditory hallucinations and illusions when she was ten years old. When she would stare at an object， spots would often start to spread on and around it. At first， these types of hallucinations were a very frightening thing for her. However， she began drawing out her illusions and auditory hallucinations with pen and paper and slowly began to face her fears and managed to find a peaceful coexistence with them. These inescapable spots that Kusama experienced eventually became an important motif in her future works. Once reaching adulthood， her determination to become an artist quickly led her to enroll in the Kyoto City University of Arts to master color painting. In 1957， she decided to pursue her dream and freed herself from the shackles of her conservative family， making her way to the capital of freedom and openness in the art world， New York City， to lead the life of an aspiring artist. She took her childhood illusions， auditory hallucinations， and fear of sex and re-purposed them into a creative energy used to produce imaginative and amazing worlds one after another. From the period of the late 1950s to early 1960s， she created infinity net， infinity dots， soft sculpture works， and performance artwork that communicated anti-war messages and love and peace， sending shockwaves through the art world. In 1959， she had her solo show in New York for the first time at the Brata Gallery， where the strong visual language in her creations earned her high praise. At that time， minimalist masters Frank Stella and Donald Judd became some of the earliest collectors of Kusama’s work. For this autumn auction， we are displaying two works completed in 1990， the vertical and horizontal versions of Pumpkin， a classic characterization of the artist’s creations during her time back from New York.
Spiritual Cohesion
“The first time I saw a pumpkin was in primary school. One day， my grandfather and I went to a seed field where I encountered a pumpkin the size of a human head. It was so lifelike and it began to talk to me. The outer appearance of a pumpkin is too adorable – what attracted me to them was that they don’t wear any masking or cover up， unashamed of their plump bellies， and they have a tenacious spiritual power.”
—— Yayoi Kusama
Yayoi Kusama’s earliest pumpkin manifestation was drawn on paper in the 1940’s. At first， the drawing was just the pumpkin’s outline without any detail. But in the two Pumpkin drawings of the 1990’s， we can see that the artist incorporated three classic elements into one： infinity nets， dots， and the shape of a pumpkin. The two works， one vertical and one horizontal， portray the pumpkin in different forms. One portrays it as a long rectangular shape， and one illustrates a small rounded pumpkin， both of which characterize contrasting dispositions. In the vertical rendition （lot 755）， the body of the pumpkin is rendered into thin and dense collection of dots， layered from the center and extending outwards with a dazzling dynamic and cadence. Gazing at the painting， one may get sucked into a world of dots if not careful. As well-known Japanese art collector and psychiatrist Takahashi Ryutaro said， “Dots and mesh are the themes of Kusama’s work， both of which are obviously static elements. But when you look at the artwork itself， it feels like it moves organically and mysteriously. Her works combine very simple and clean expression with a strong narrative that is closely linked to her life’s experiences.” Further， the body of pumpkins radiate a life-like waviness， breathing， expanding， and maturing with life in this networked world. The artist gives vitality and a high degree of spiritual strength to the pumpkin， leaving viewers with a memorable experience.
In the horizontal Pumpkin （lot 756）， the yellow net set on top of the black background has the illusion of expanding outward， allowing it to occupy more than half of the canvas， with a stubborn dwarf pumpkin standing firmly in the middle， immovable. This scene gives people a feeling of stable power， as if unaffected by the interference of the outside world， reminiscent of Buddha in a temple. The work exemplifies both sides of the spectrums of moving and static， introverted and extroverted， and contraction and expansion， lending to a high degree of tension. Looking back to the time of its creation in 1990， Kusama had been back to Tokyo from New York. Her continuous use of the pumpkin as a main theme in her creations is perhaps a way of exploiting her childhood memories to bring her closer to home. Her use of inkiness with the exquisite colored painting style of traditional Nihonga （Japanese-style） paintings gives her creations a glimpse into her Oriental identity， further lending to the meaning and representation of her art.

Price estimate:
HKD: 3,500,000 – 4,500,000
USD: 450,500 – 579,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 4,130,000