Most people know of Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama because of her famed infinity rooms or her large spotted pumpkin sculptures. She has recently passed on at 97, and instead, I want to honor her for her paintings. You can see several here in this post.

We are both riveted by polka dots, which is why I’m so attracted to these works. We are both willing to densely pack the picture plane as well. Some people would call us maximalists. I like her vibrant sense of color too, as well as her compositional finesse. Additionally, I respect her willingness to create art across many mediums and types, which only added to her abilities and prowess.

And while I relate to her artwork that I’ve shown here, I separate that from her writings, her politics, and her spirituality. Unfortunately, she was a flagrant racist, and by being loudly vocal about that, has been hurtful to many. So please note that I do not applaud that. Maybe we can separate the art we like from an artist we don’t? What do you think?