Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, known for dots and pumpkins, dies at 97

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her distinctive dot-covered paintings and pumpkin motifs, died on August 14 at the age of 97. Kusama, who transformed childhood hallucinations into art, moved to New York at 27, where she gained recognition for her work and participated in anti-war activities during the 1960s. She reportedly influenced artists like Andy Warhol. After returning to Japan around 1977, Kusama voluntarily entered a mental hospital, where she resided for decades, continuing her artistic practice. She stated in 2017, "Dots come flying everywhere... And I paint them."