Artist and Louis Vuitton Collaborator Yayoi Kusama Has Died

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Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist famous for her dot covered sculptures, immersive art installations, and blockbuster collaborations with Louis Vuitton has died.

“It is with profound sorrow that the passing of Yayoi Kusama at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97,” read a statement from her studio posted on her website earlier today.

“Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry. She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul.

“We will carry forward Kusama’s wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world.”

David Zwirner, who represented Kusama, cited “multiple organ failure” as the cause of death.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Yayoi Kusama, one of the greatest artists of contemporary art,” said Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari in a statement posted to the company’s Instagram account.

“A true living legend, she shaped her life and work with extraordinary freedom, imagination, and vision, leaving an indelible mark on the art world over the past decades.

“It has been a great honor for everyone at Louis Vuitton to have collaborated with her on two occasions in 2012 and 2023. Her boundless creativity and singular vision have always been an immense source of inspiration.

“On behalf of Louis Vuitton, I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family, her loved ones, and all those who had the privilege of working alongside her. Her extraordinary legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Kusama began drawing her signature polkadots at the age of 10 and moved to Neew York to pursue her art in 1957. There she befriended artists including Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Joseph Cornell, who praised her distinctive style, but it wasn’t until late in her career that she achieved true fame, thanks in part to her collaborations with Vuitton and the installations of her viral mirrored infinity rooms. In 2008, Christie’s auctioned her work for $5.8 million and in 2016 she Japan’s prestigious Order of Culture — the highest honor the country can bestow on a living artist.

“I feel there is little left in my life, but I am now still fighting to the death for my art,” she said upon receiving the award. “I am giving all I have so that many people will continue to be interested in my art, even after I am dead.”

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