Gouache, pastel, ink on paper

51.3 x 66.3 cm. 20 1/4 × 26 1/8 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom right; signed and titled in Japanese and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
1 Apr 2018, Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction, Lot 503
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

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

A Fashion Memoir by the Queen of Polka Dots
Yayoi Kusama's Ritual of Life!

Japan's national treasure, Yayoi Kusama's unique artistic language is the result of her extraordinary experiences. Originally from conservative Japan, she developed a series of avant-garde works in the United States that appeared to be deviant and controversial, and eventually gained worldwide attention.

As early as 1944, at the age of fifteen, Yayoi Kusama was drafted by the government to work in a parachute factory, where she learnt to sew. Kusama is a multifaceted artist, not only a painter and sculptor but also a performance artist, fashion designer, poet and novelist. Her works are diverse, ranging from painting, soft sculpture, performance, installation and film, and cover the genres of Abstract Expression, Pop Art and Feminism. To date, she has been recognised as one of the “Greatest Artists in Japanese History”. In June 2009, The Times announced the 200 greatest artists of the 20th century, with Yayoi Kusama as the representative of Japan, alongside the likes of Pablo Picasso and Paul Cézanne, demonstrating her outstanding and ahead-of-her-time artistic achievements.

Fashion: The Movement of Polka Dots!

The “polka dot” was a key element in Kusama's work and an important symbol of the hippie era. In the 1960s, Kusama was an active member of the international art scene, as influential as the pop artist Andy Warhol. The recurring “polka dots” in his works inspired numerous later artists such as Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami. This autumn auction presents A Song in Praise of Hat, completed in Tokyo in 1979, which combines the artist's most iconic elements of polka dots, infinity nets and sawtooth, with her exploration of fashionable objects, a work of extraordinary significance.

Hats: Kusama's Lifelong Favourite

In the 17th century, the colour of hats was used to differentiate social status, and hats themselves became, to some extent, a representation of class. Later, the British royal family wore hats for a long time, which led to a fashion trend. Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has been influenced by the West, and its citizens have also become more fond of wearing hats, with their clothes to show their personalities and tastes. Since she visited the United States in 1957, Kusama has been wearing hats on various important occasions, to show her love for hats as an accessory. In her graphic creations, she created several works on paper with the theme of hats, including A Song in Praise of Hat. Later in 1981, she released her first print Hat Left behind in the Field, and in the same year, she began to create works on canvas with the theme of hats, which demonstrated the profound significance of the theme to Kusama - hats are like a symbol of the artist's “ego”, and it became the representative theme of her works in that period.

Colourful Sky, Rhythm of Life

After living in New York for seventeen years, she returned to Japan in 1973 and began to create more works on paper, with A Song in Praise of Hat being one of her rare large-scale works on paper from the Tokyo period. The work combines the polka dots, which is her lifelong favourite element, with her special love for hats. One can see the spreading circular lines, like an organic “infinite net” in yellow, white and gradual silver, constantly extending and growing outwards. The entire hat is outlined by a jagged thick black line, demonstrating that what looks sweet and lovely also carries “sharp claws,” and to a certain extent, it also demonstrates the rise of women's power in that era.

The hood and bow are uniquely upturned, and the rounded curves resemble a smiling mouth, reflecting the spirit of Kusama's upward mobility and indomitable will. She is active in the art world of Japan and the United States in her own way and is never afraid of other people's judgments, but continues to move forward with her strong will and artistic conviction. The artwork incorporates the artist's signature infinity net, polka dots and sawtooth elements, making it display a unique rhythm that is dynamic and organic under the dramatic interpretation, focusing viewers' attention on this rich visual illusion.

Beyond the Hat: Rain Falls, Clouds Fold

The background of A Song in Praise of Hat goes from dark to light: dark grey watercolour changes from the centre to pinkish purple, as if from night to day. The red polka dots pervade the background, dancing in the vastness of the universe, spreading outwards to form a majestic atmosphere, each flickering under the seemingly complex, but in fact, rhythmic movement, with the yellow hat on top of them like a glorious temple of gold, captivating the viewer's attention.

In A Song in Praise of Hat, Kusama uses her grand imagination and passion to give ordinary objects the splendour of life. Everything seen through her eyes resonates with each other, writing down the polka dot queen's persistence and undying expectation for art.

Price estimate:
HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
USD 512,800 – 769,200