Thinking Pumpkin

Medium: Screenprint in colors on Verin d’Arches paper
[3 screens, 2 colors, 3 runs]
Year: 1993
Image: 65.5 x 53.5 cm (25.8 x 21.1 inches)
Sheet: 75.8 x 62.3 cm (29.8 x 24.5 inches)
Edition: 120
Artist’s Proofs: 12 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Printer: Okabe Tokuzo, Tokyo
Literature: ABE 182
Yayoi Kusama Prints 1979-2017, ABE PUBLISHING LTD, Number 182, Illustrated page 113

Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil on lower edge

Thinking Pumpkin is a vibrant screenprint that primarily focuses on a single, bulbous pumpkin form. The pumpkin’s surface is entirely covered in intricate, rhythmic black polka dots that vary slightly in size, creating a sense of volume and movement (swelling and contracting) across the form. This contrasts with a black, mosaic-like or net-patterned background, which is also covered in small, repetitive patterns, enhancing the pumpkin’s three-dimensional appearance and creating a complex optical depth. The screenprint process allowed Kusama to achieve the bold, vivid colors and the precise, flat application of her signature repetitive patterns, which is a hallmark of her style.

The pumpkin is a deeply personal and recurring motif for Kusama, holding significant meaning. Pumpkins were a source of comfort for Kusama in her childhood; she admires their simple, everyday quality, hardiness, and “humorous” form. She has stated that they “speak to me of the joy of living”. Kusama has long struggled with mental health issues and hallucinations. The repetitive depiction of the pumpkin and the dots serves as a form of art therapy, allowing her to confront and suppress her fears and gain control over her emotions, turning something frightening into something inspiring. The use of repetitive dots across the surface of the pumpkin and the background relates to her broader themes of infinity and “self-obliteration,” where individual forms merge into an endless, universal pattern.

Thinking Pumpkin was released in 1993. This year was pivotal in Kusama’s career as she represented Japan at the prestigious Venice Biennale with a solo exhibition. Her installations at the Biennale, which included a mirrored room filled with spotted pumpkins (Mirror Room (Pumpkin)), brought her widespread international acclaim and solidified the pumpkin as one of her most iconic and recognized motifs in contemporary art. The printmaking technique also allowed her to democratize her creations and reach a larger audience with her unique vision of boundlessness and repetition.

Auction Results

Bonhams Hong-Kong: 25 May 2025
Estimated: HKD 250,000 – 350,000
HKD 307,200 / USD 39,235

K Auction: 27 January 2022
Estimated: KRW 75,000,000 – 100,000,000
KRW 87,400,000 / USD 72,545 

YAYOI KUSAMA
Thinking Pumpkin, 1993
Screenprint
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on the front

Ravenel Taipei: 18 July 2021
Estimated: TWD 1,100,000 – 2,000,000
TWD 1,320,000 / USD 47,143

YAYOI KUSAMA
Thinking Pumpkin, 1993
Screenprint
Signed lower right Yayoi Kusama in English
Titled Thinking Pumpkin in Japanese
Numbered lower left 105/120 and dated 1993