Acrylic on canvas

18 × 14 cm. 7 1/8 × 5 1/2 in.

Signed in English, titled in Japanese and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
15 Jul 2017, Mallet Tokyo Summer Auction, Lot 274
Acquired directly by important present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a registration card issued by Yayoi Kusama studio

Grace Nurtured With Self-Confidence and Determination
Yayoi Kusama's 1990s Self-Autobiographical Flower

“After being in the United States for a decade I underwent a major transformation from a painter into an environmental sculptor, as a result of which I had all kinds of successes, so in American avant-garde circles, no, global avant-garde circles, the name Yayoi Kusama has become well known ... As far as I am concerned I live in the modern world, work hard to absorb a sense of the times and want to present the future with a bright-red flower.”

――Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama is a legendary and inspiring figure in the world of modern art. Born in a mountainous area of Nagano, in the 1950s Kusama struggled to free herself from traditional and closed off Japan, as a result of which she visited New York city, the artistic capital of the world. Indeed, she had earlier written asking for advice from her idol Georgia O'Keeffe, at the time the most famous female artist in the US, having learned her contact details from a copy of Who's Who at the American Embassy in Tokyo and by 1972, Kusama had her own entry in the American version of Who's Who. From her guerrilla participation at the Venice Biennial in 1966, where she presented Narcissus Garden on a grass verge outside one of the exhibition venues, to 1993 when the artist was invited to officially represent her country at the Venice Biennial Japanese Pavilion as Japan's number one female artist, and the first artist to do so with a solo exhibition, Kusama's artistic achievements gained global acclaim. However, from 1950 to the 1990s, Yayoi Kusama faced a range of real world difficulties, including a period in which she was widely misunderstood and largely ignored by the outside world. Nevertheless, the artist continued to focus on producing art, transforming the visual and auditory hallucinations she experienced into a source of inspiration for her creative work, walking a creative path that was independent from the wider world with self-confidence and resolution. Kusama has herself said that she wanted to: “present the future with a bright-red flower” and ultimately she forged ahead in pursuit of her dream and profoundly moved people around the world.

Since the 1950s the main creative motifs in the art of Yayoi Kusama have been “infinity nets,” “polka dots,” “pumpkins” and “flowers.” Of these, “flowers” contain a certain degree of autobiographical self-reference. On this occasion the work being auctioned is the painting Flower which was completed during the artist's golden creative period in 1996. The piece also combines three main elements Kusama has refined throughout her creative career: “infinity nets,” “polka dots” and “flowers,” showcasing a context that is rich and high-spirited.

Eye-catching Blooming Red Flowers, High-Spirited Life Tension

“When I saw Kusama's work it was something brand new. She is truly amazing, completely focused on her goal, like an engine pursuing creative energy and artistic achievements. Her appeal is irresistible and she is acclaimed by people in three continents. Americans liken her to a ‘flower' and that is fitting.”

――Art Voice editor-in-chief Gordon Brown, 1996

In the painting Flower the overlapping yellow infinity net in the black background, breaks up the dark silence like a lightning bolt illuminating the brilliance of the world. At the same time, the red and white check patterned tablecloth is filled with dots that appear to be moving, as if alluding to the fact that the nutrition in the red earth is transported upwards to the square plant pot, where three healthy and strong flowers bloom with vigor. It is as if Kusama used a perspective lens to depict the fine detail of the leaf veins and flower stems, while the flowers extend left and right as they make a big show of absorbing the essence of nature like the lithe physical rhythms of a dancer performing and extolling the beauty of life. The artist also played an intriguing game with the colours between the petals and stamen of the flowers, using the interplay of white, red and black, together with the patchwork of different-sized dots decorating the petals like cellular molecules to create a three dimensional feel and strong sense of motion. In addition, the colours used in the work also echo each other, for example, the yellow-black of the background and the colours in the centre of the plant pot, while the red and white of the flowers mirror the colour of the tablecloth. The arrangement is reminiscent of the rising and falling of tones, harmonious and replete with the charm of a poem, ensuring viewers to be impressed by the artist's skillful ideas and the ingenuity of subtle changes.

Moreover, the “five petal flowers” in this work can be traced back to the bright eyes flowers Kusama mentions in her autobiography: “When I was at elementary school I often played at my grandpa's seed field and the small pathway was planted with common zinia, bright eyes and garden nasturtium used for seed collection.” Of these bright eyes are also called the “flower of eternal youth” and resistant to drought, arid conditions and poor quality soil, qualities that enable them to grow in any environment. Other than this being the flower with which Kusama was most familiar from her childhood, its hardiness is undoubtedly also an echo of the artist's own character, for example the way in which she bravely sought to start over abroad and strived to “present the future with a bright-red flower.” In other words, the work is imbued with self reflection from the artist's own life. If we look back at 1996, the year in which this work was painted, Kusama had returned to Japan from New York 23 years earlier but the conservatism of Japanese society and artistic environment was unwelcoming, believing her performance art in New York to be tantamount to an offense against public decency by an “exhibitionist,” with many interpreting her works in ways that were unfavorable. Indeed, it was not until 1987, a full 14 years after she returned to Japan that Yayoi Kusama held her first retrospective exhibition in the country at Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, which she described as a “key turning point.” Thereafter, the Japanese art world started to better understand and value her work. Moreover, the flowers in this painting are tall, straight and in no way bashful as they self-confidently bloom, perhaps an echo of Kusama's state of mind at that time, a fact that adds further depth and meaning to the work.

A review of art by Yayoi Kusama, shows that the huge sculpture Flowers that Bloom at Midnight at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills (2009) and the wine bottle she created in conjunction with Dom Pérignon in 2010 also contain representations of the “flower of eternal youth.” This indicates the extent of the artist's affection for this particular flower and the referential sentiment it contains. In this context, the work Flower is important evidence from the 1990s of the way in which this motif has appeared in the artist's work throughout her creative career, which in turn highlights the distinctiveness of this work. In addition, the piece is also one of only a handful of paintings in which Kusama used more than three colours and it also includes infinity nets and polka dots, important elements that have been consistent features of her art, highlighting her rich character, outgoing approach to life and high spirits. These aspects showcase the special meaning of the painting and make it a piece avid art lovers will not want to miss.

Price estimate:
HKD: 2,500,000 - 3,500,000
USD: 318,500 - 445,900

Auction Result:
HKD: 5,760,000