Pumpkin (YSQ)
Medium: Screen-print in colors on Verin d’Arches paper
[3 screens, 2 colors, 3 runs]
Year: 1998
Image: 30×30 cm (11.8 x 11.8 inches)
Sheet: 39.5 x 38 cm (15.6 x 15 inches)
Edition: 120
Artist’s Proofs: 12 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Printer: Okabe Tokuzo, Tokyo
Literature: ABE 240
Yayoi Kusama Prints 1979-2017, ABE Publishing Ltd., Number 240, Illustrated page 144
Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil on lower edge
Pumpkin (YSQ) from 1998 is a clear example of Yayoi Kusama’s disciplined approach to printmaking at the end of the 20th century, a period in which she consolidated the visual elements that define her work: the pumpkin form, polka dots, and infinity nets. By this time, Kusama was using print as an autonomous medium, allowing her to precisely control color, structure, and repetition. The composition centers on a single yellow pumpkin, constructed through meticulously organized black polka dots that follow the natural curvature of each lobe. The variation in dot size creates volume and depth, giving the form a strong physical presence while maintaining graphic clarity. The background is filled with a dark Infinity Net, rendered in a restrained, regular pattern that frames the pumpkin without overwhelming it. The net functions as a spatial field, reinforcing the sense of continuity and repetition that runs throughout Kusama’s practice.
Yellow holds a particular significance in Kusama’s pumpkin imagery. Rooted in her childhood memories of rural Japan, the pumpkin is associated with stability and familiarity. In contrast to cooler colorways, the yellow palette introduces a sense of warmth and accessibility, while remaining rigorously controlled. The repetition of dots reflects Kusama’s long-standing interest in pattern as a means of order and concentration, rather than decoration.
Overall, this 1998 print illustrates Kusama’s ability to balance symbolic content with formal precision. It presents the pumpkin as both a personal motif and a carefully constructed visual system, demonstrating how repetition, color, and structure operate together within her mature print practice.
Auction Results
SBI Art Auction: 12 September 2025
Estimated: JPY 3,000,000 – 6,000,000
JPY 6,900,000 / USD 46,865
YAYOI KUSAMA
Pumpkin (YSQ) (Kusama 240), 1998
Screenprint
Signed, titled, dated and numbered
From the edition of 120
Mainichi Auction: 25 February 2022
Estimated: JPY 3,000,000 – 4,000,000
JPY 7,000,000 (Hammer)
JPY 8,155,000 / USD 70,540
YAYOI KUSAMA
Pumpkin (YSQ), 1998
Screenprint
Signed
From the edition of 120
Mainichi Auction: 4 December 2020
Estimated: JPY 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
JPY 3,000,000 (Hammer)
JPY 3,495,000 / USD 33,550
YAYOI KUSAMA
Pumpkin (YSQ), 1998
Screenprint
Signed
From the edition of 120