Untitled, circa 1960
Oil on canvas
102×142.2 cm (40.2×56 inches)

 

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist and thence by descent to the present owner
Private Collection, USA

 

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 25 November 2017
HKD 33,700,000 / USD 4,316,307

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

 

The visual elements of Untitled are succinct, painted arcs of black and red dominate the entire picture plane. Untitled is minimalistic in nature, every brushstroke encompassing Kusama’s desire to express herself. The sinuous arcs multiply in perpetual repetition, modulated by changes in density. Thus, the entire picture is activated with a rhythm generated by holes of different sizes and tendencies as well as subtly undulating hues within the red strokes. As the brushstrokes shimmer across the canvas, the red net multiplies like cells teeming with vitality. The unbridled energy and wild emotion in this work creates a similar visual impact to Abstract Expressionist masterpieces. With calm and controlled execution, Kusama gave life to a work that is surges forward with an all-enveloping emotional energy. Untitled is constructed with both rationality and sentimentality. It accomplishes what Judd referred to as an effect that is “both complex and simple”. It is for this reason that Kusama has never been definitively pigeon-holed into any particular school or framework, while at the same time provides inspiration for following generations of artists who have made their way in her wake.

Executed in the 1960s, Untitled is a rare early work that was painted in oil. Other works in red that were produced in the same period are now held in museum collections. Kusama’s oil paintings are rich in texture. The medium adds a sense of three-dimensionality in an otherwise planar composition. Viewers can follow these visually stimulating brushstrokes, imagining themselves travelling back in time to New York in the 1960s. As the viewers trace the movement of the artist’s hand, the red circles activate and conquer the black abyss of the canvas beneath. All form is engulfed and obliterated and through this process, all things return to eternity.