Lemon Squash (1)-(5) consists of five vibrant screenprints that reimagine the traditional still-life genre using the artist’s iconic motifs of polka dots and “infinity nets”. The series transforms a simple, everyday beverage into a visually stimulating exploration of Kusama’s key themes: obsession, infinity, and the celebration of life.
Introduction
Lemon Squash (1)-(5) each depict a tall glass of lemon squash, complete with a lemon slice, rendered in Kusama’s characteristic style. The prints feature clashing fields of vibrant color and superimposed dots. Kusama uses her dots not merely as decoration, but to create depth, form, and simulate the transparency of the glass and the liquid. Concentrating larger dots in the center and radiating smaller dots outwards mimics a half-tone printing effect, giving the images a retro, advertisement-like appearance reminiscent of mid-20th-century graphic design.
The series comprises five individual prints varying in color combinations or background patterns. This series is part of Kusama’s broader exploration of the still-life genre, which she subverts by moving away from traditional realism and infusing everyday objects with her unique psychological and artistic vision. By choosing a common, refreshing drink, Kusama challenges viewers to see the extraordinary in the mundane, a recurring theme in her work.
The repetitive patterns and polka dots stem from Kusama’s lifelong experiences with hallucinations and neurosis, which she transforms into an artistic expression of obsession and the desire for self-obliteration (a conceptual merging of the self with the vastness of the universe). Despite her personal struggles with mental health, the vibrant colors and the playful subject matter of the “Lemon Squash” prints are often interpreted as possessing a notable joie de vivre (joy of living). The glass, always appearing more than half-full, suggests a sense of optimism.
Lemon Squash (1)-(5), 1999
Lemon Squash (1) – (5)
Medium: Screenprint in colors on Kakita-shi paper with Lame
[4 screens, 4 colors, 5 runs]
Year: 1999
Image: 54×45 cm (21.3 x 17.7 inches)
Sheet: 70×59 cm (27.6 x 23.2 inches)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 6 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Printer: Okabe Tokuzo, Tokyo
Literature: ABE 263-267
Yayoi Kusama Prints 1979-2017, ABE PUBLISHING LTD, Numbers 263 to 267, Illustrated pages 156-158
Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil on lower edge
1. Lemon Squash (1) (ABE 263)
2. Lemon Squash (2) (ABE 264)
3. Lemon Squash (3) (ABE 265)
4. Lemon Squash (4) (ABE 266)
5. Lemon Squash (5) (ABE 267)
Lemon Squash (1) (ABE 263)
Est-Ouest Auctions Hong-Kong: 28 May 2023
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 75,000
USD 63,000
YAYOI KUSAMA
LEMON SQUASH (1), 1999
Screen print lame
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on the margin
Lemon Squash (2) (ABE 264)
SBI Art Auction: 25 January 2025
Estimated: JPY 5,000,000 – 8,000,000
JPY 9,430,000 / USD 60,440
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (2) (Kusama 264), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered
From the edition of 60
Lemon Squash (3) (ABE 265)
K Auction: 25 June 2025
Estimated: KRW 27,000,000 – 70,000,000
KRW 50,600,000 / USD 37,340
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (3) (Kusama 265), 1999
Screenprint, lame
Signed, titled, dated and numbered 42/60 to the front
Mallet Japan: 3 March 2022
Estimated: JPY 2,500,000 – 3,500,000
JPY 8,400,000 (Hammer)
JPY 9,786,000 / USD 84,610
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (3) (Kusama 265), 1999
Screenprint, lame
Signed, titled, dated and numbered 42/60 to the front
Seoul Auction Hong-Kong: 27 May 2019
Estimated: HKD 180,000 – 240,000
HKD 236,000 / USD 30,070
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (3), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on the recto
Lemon Squash (4) (ABE 266)
Mainichi Auction: 13 December 2024
Estimated: JPY 5,000,000 – 7,000,000
JPY 8,970,000 / USD 58,340
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (4), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, from the edition of 60
SBI Art Auction: 24 May 2024
Estimated: JPY 5,000,000 – 8,000,000
JPY 12,075,000 / USD 76,911
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (4) (Kusama 266), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered
From the edition of 60
K Auction Seoul: 29 April 2021
Estimated: KRW 25,000,000 – 45,000,000
KRW 65,550,000 / USD 58,825
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (4), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on the front
Lemon Squash (5) (ABE 267)
Mainichi Auction: 19 October 2024
Estimated: JPY 5,000,000 – 7,000,000
JPY 9,775,000 / USD 65,375
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (5), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, from the edition of 60
Seoul Auction: 8 March 2018
Estimated: KRW 20,000,000 – 30,000,000
KRW 25,300,000 / USD 23,705
YAYOI KUSAMA
Lemon Squash (5), 1999
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on the recto