Yayoi Kusama

Victoria Miro Gallery, London
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2012

London, Victoria Miro Gallery, Yayoi Kusama: New Paintings, February - April 2012

"Reviews: Yayoi Kusama, Victoria Miro - London," FlashArt, May/June 2012, p. 113, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is very evidence of light wear and handling along the edges, most notably a minor abrasion along the bottom left edge. Under close inspection there are some minor media accretions scattered throughout, inherent to the artist's working method. Under Ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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A renaissance woman of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Yayoi Kusama has created a body of work that defies easy classification. Throughout her historic career she has operated across virtually every medium including painting, drawing, sculpture (both indoor and outdoor), film, the written word, design, fashion and even architectural interventions. Her output is absolutely prolific and generates at a manic pace. It is not just her art form that transcends the confinement of definition, but also her idiosyncratic artistic style as well.

Although she is Japanese, it would be a misnomer to label her a traditional Japanese artist. As a young child she was trained in Nihonga painting, a technique that infuses classic Japanese aesthetics with a more modern sensibility and subject matter. In 1957, Kusama moved to New York City, the new hub of the western art scene, where she became well-versed in the burgeoning forms of avant garde expression; Abstract Expressionism, Pop, and Minimalism. Once in America, she combined these innovative western practices with her Japanese training to create an aesthetic that was entirely her own.

The amalgamation of these influences is expertly displayed in My Forsaken Love, executed in 2010. Organic shapes populate the composition, reminiscent of a grouping of colorful continents floating amidst a vibrant pink sea. The abstracted, amorphous forms recall those championed by Arshile Gorky and Joan Miró, yet the cartoonish rendering of these amoeba-like shapes calls to mind associations to Japanese Manga. Furthermore, while this piece may employ aspects of the Abstract Expressionist style, Kusama eschews their palette of dark, brooding primary colors and greys in favor of a vibrant Pop palette of pinks, light blues and greens offset by a bold and sinister black outline. As Walt Whitman once famously quipped, "I contain multitudes," so too does Yayoi Kusama, ever the complex and extraordinary figure. My Forsaken Love is a prime example of how these multitudes have manifested throughout Kusama's storied career, which has endured for over 60 years and shows no sign of slowing down.