Kusama

by Louise Neri (Editor), Roselee Goldberg (Contributor), Chris Kraus (Contributor)

This book comes in three different color patterns (all with the same cover design).
The most comprehensive book devoted to the incomparable and iconic work of Yayoi Kusama. Yayoi Kusama, now in her eighties, has become a vital force in contemporary art and an influence on generations of artists. Arriving in New York City in 1958 from her native Japan, she embarked on a series of works that forged a new visual vocabulary—the Net paintings, which were composed of scores of small, thickly painted loops spanning large canvases. Her singular approach to art making continued in other extraordinary bodies of work, including the phallic soft sculptures which she later incorporated into full-scale environments. In 1973 she returned to Japan, where she lives and works today. Since then, she has created dazzling walk-in mirror rooms and her now-famous pumpkin sculptures, as well as writing poetry and novels. In this book—created in close collaboration with Kusama and her Tokyo studio—the breadth and import of this watershed artist’s career are considered in depth. In addition to studies of the development of her artistic vocabularies across different media, the book includes ephemera, sketches, and photographs from the artist’s extensive archive that have never been seen before. The publication is timed to coincide with the artist’s major touring retrospective, which makes its American debut at the Whitney Museum in New York in summer 2012, as well as with the much-anticipated collaboration with powerhouse fashion brand Louis Vuitton.
Contributors Leslie Camhi, RoseLeeGoldberg, Laura Hoptman, Chris Kraus, Arthur Lubow, Kevin McGarry, Louise Neri, Akira Tatehata, and Olivier Zahm.

Genres: Art

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2012

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

While this book provides a fantastic overview of Kusama’s work, a lot of the pictures included were grainy and not clearly focused images. The quality of the images was lackluster.

Also, the book comes in three different covers and there is no way on knowing which you will receive if purchasing online.

However, the book itself is presented beautifully with a silver lined book cover under the book sleeve

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yayoi Kusama is an incredible artist and offers a path through mental illness that is unlike almost every other person - In fact, I don't know of another who has checked themselves into a mental institution in order to facilitate life while producing art. Her's is an amazing story and this collection of her art, along with descriptive essays of various work cycles, is an astonishing look at a body of work that is unique in both the real and the art world.

[Sophie Beeby · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when it’s been birthday/Christmas season when all the gorgeous coffee table art books are showing up on the feed! This book, about one of my favourite living artists, was kindly given to me by my @ralph.beeby who is a Kusama expert by proxy from all the artwork I’ve dragged him to and spouted about. The book, published in 2012 documents the first eight decades of Kusama’ dart (and still going strong!!) and how it has evolved and transformed through the years. Being well acquainted with her later sculptural and painting work, it was very interesting to learn more about her performance and early soft sculpture work and how her well-documented battle with her neurological and mental health, along with childhood trauma, especially influenced these early works. A treat for any existing Kusama fan or those wanting to find out more 🎃