YAYOI KUSAMA
Pumpkin, 1989
Acrylic on canvas
46×38 cm (18.1 x 15 inches)
Signed and dated ‘yayoi kusama 1989’
Titled in Japanese (on the reverse)

Provenance
Private Collection, Japan
Acquired from the above by the present owner in the 1990s

 

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 2 December 2020
HKD 15,250,000

Source: Christie’s
YAYOI KUSAMA (B. 1929) (christies.com)

 

“I love pumpkins because of their humorous form, warm feeling, and a human-like quality and form.”  

 

Pumpkin is a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors, dots and nets. Painted in 1989, the painting is a rare example of the artist’s early exploration of the subject’s form, size and character with a seemingly limitless color palette. From Egyptian blue to bright yellow, dark green to pumpkin orange, Kusama creates a feast for the eyes with her extraordinary display of contrasting colors. Unlike the monochromatic pumpkins of Kusama’s later oeuvre, this early work is one of a kind. The painting has been in the same collection for almost 30 years and will be presented for the first time in the market. It will also be the second time a double-pumpkin painting has graced the auction market, making it an incredibly momentous occasion.

Kusama’ s obsession with pumpkins dates back to her childhood, where she often visited plant nurseries with her grandfather. It was during this time that Kusama felt she could identify with these humous proliferating forms. As a young girl, Kusama began experiencing hallucinations in the form of animated conversations with the pumpkins and only through drawing their bulbous forms was she able to confront such illusions. For a while it seemed Kusama had forgotten about her favorite pumpkin during her time in New York, where was working on her infinity net paintings. However, by the early-1970s, upon returning to Tokyo from New York, Kusama underwent an intense period of depression, where only through painting pumpkins did the artist find solace. Mesmerized by the “unpretentious and simple beauty” of these organic forms, Kusama re-emerged onto the art scene in the early-1980s with her confidence and ambition restored. As a result, Pumpkin, a work executed in 1989, signals this poignant moment.

“I had dark days and unfortunate times, but I overcame them with the power of art.”

What began as a young child’s creative, yet uncertain grip on reality, became a central motif to Kusama’s endless search for self-identity. The artist embraced her phantom and pushed the boundaries of her psyche. Now, the cute, rotund, and polka dotted pumpkin has become an international sensation and a unique personal trademark of Yayoi Kusama.