Yayoi Kusama: Pumpkins

"It seems that pumpkins do not inspire much respect. But I was enchanted by their charming and winsome form." Thus Yayoi Kusama explains her attraction to the humble pumpkin in the preface to the catalog of the 2014 exhibition Yayoi Kusama: Pumpkins at the Victoria Miro Gallery in London. Both the pumpkin form and the repeated, striated spray of dots inspired by the markings on Japanese kabocha pumpkins are recurring motifs in this iconic artist’s work across various media. This richly illustrated book highlights several series of Kusama’s pumpkins, including paintings as well as sculptures in bronze, mosaic, and fiberglass.