A PUMPKIN (BT)

Medium: Screenprint in colors on Verin d’Arches paper
[2 screens, 2 colors, 3 runs], Lame
Year: 2004
Image: 33×27 cm (13 x 10.6 inches)
Sheet: 45.5 x 38.3 cm  (17.9 x 15.1 inches)
Edition: 120
Artist’s Proofs: 12 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Printer: Okabe Tokuzo, Tokyo
Literature: ABE 318
Yayoi Kusama Prints 1979-2007, ABE PUBLISHING LTD, Number 318, Illustrated page 184

Signed, titled, numbered, and dated in pencil

Created in 2004, A PUMPKIN (BT) reflects a mature phase in Yayoi Kusama’s long engagement with this recurring form. By this time, the pumpkin has become a stable and familiar structure within her practice, allowing subtle variations in color and pattern to take precedence over compositional change.

A PUMPKIN (BT) is organized around a yellow pumpkin set against a blue background, a chromatic pairing that distinguishes it from Kusama’s more common yellow-and-black combinations. The yellow surface of the pumpkin is articulated with blue polka dots that vary in scale, following the vertical segmentation of the form and suggesting volume through repetition rather than modeling. The choice of blue introduces a cooler, more measured tone, tempering the warmth traditionally associated with yellow. The background is animated by a fine net pattern drawn in yellow over blue, creating a continuous field that extends beyond the edges of the composition. This surrounding network contrasts with the clearly defined outline of the pumpkin, reinforcing a recurring dynamic in Kusama’s work between containment and extension. The pumpkin remains grounded and legible, while the background suggests ongoing movement and continuity. Kusama demonstrates how a limited shift in palette can alter the atmosphere of a familiar image. The work maintains the clarity and repetition characteristic of her pumpkin prints, while the blue ground introduces a quieter, more contemplative register within her established visual language.

Pumpkins hold profound personal and symbolic significance for Kusama, providing a vehicle for exploring her inner world and the universal human experience. Kusama has stated that pumpkins offer “poetic peace” and “spiritual balance”. Her fascination began in childhood, where she found comfort and warmth in their “generous unpretentiousness” on her family’s seed-selling farm. The repetitive dots on the pumpkin and the background are a manifestation of her hallucinations and a metaphor for the universe. By covering surfaces with dots, she seeks to “self-obliterate” the subject and herself, dissolving boundaries between the self, the object, and the infinite cosmos. In Japanese culture, pumpkins symbolize prosperity, good fortune, and endurance. The sturdy, simple form of the pumpkin, along with its cyclical growth, represents persistence and the joy of living, transcending her personal struggles with mental health. Kusama has acknowledged that pumpkins function as a form of self-portrait, mirroring her balance of vulnerability and resilience.

 

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Auction Results

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YAYOI KUSAMA
A PUMPKIN (BT) (Kusama 318), 2004
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered
From the edition of 120
Printed by Okabe Tokuzo

Seoul Auction: 27 February 2024
Estimated: KRW 80,000,000 – 120,000,000
KRW 94,400,000 / USD 70,894

YAYOI KUSAMA
A Pumpkin (BT), 2004
Screenprint and Lame
Signed, titled, dated and numbered 67/120 on the recto

Mallet Japan: 14 December 2023
Estimated: JPY 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
JPY 8,000,000 (Hammer)
JPY 9,320,000 / USD 65,845

YAYOI KUSAMA
A Pumpkin (BT), 2004
Screenprint in colors
Signed
From the edition of 120

Est-Ouest Auctions Tokyo: 24 September 2022
Estimated: JPY 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
JPY 9,075,000 / USD 63,304

YAYOI KUSAMA
A Pumpkin (BT), 2004
Screenprint and Lame
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on the margin

SBI Art Auction: 16 September 2022
Estimated: JPY 3,500,000 – 5,500,000
JPY 9,200,000 / USD 64,232

YAYOI KUSAMA
A Pumpkin (BT) (Kusama 318), 2004
Screenprint, lamé
Signed, titled, dated and numbered
From the edition of 120

Mainichi Auction: 16 July 2022
Estimated: JPY 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
JPY 7,500,000 (Hammer)
JPY 8,737,500 / USD 63,085

YAYOI KUSAMA
A pumpkin (BT), 2004
Screenprint
Signed
From the edition of 120

Seoul Auction: 24 May 2022
Estimated: KRW 60,000,000 – 90,000,000
KRW 97,940,000 / USD 77,795

YAYOI KUSAMA
A Pumpkin (BT), 2004
Screenprint and Lame
Signed, titled, dated and numbered 54/120 on the recto

Mainichi Auction: 30 October 2021
Estimated: JPY 3,000,000 – 4,000,000
JPY 9,000,000 (Hammer)
JPY 10,485,000 / USD 92,000
AUCTION RECORD FOR A PUMPKIN (BT)

YAYOI KUSAMA
A pumpkin (BT), 2004
Screenprint
Signed
From the edition of 120

Phillips Hong-Kong: 14 September 2020
Estimated: HKD 120,000 – 180,000
HKD 275,000 / USD 35,615

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 16 April 2020
Estimated: HKD 120,000 – 180,000
HKD 325,000 / USD 41,930

YAYOI KUSAMA (b.1929)
A PUMPKIN (BT), 2004
Screen-print, lamé
Signed in English, titled, dated 2004 and numbered P.P
This work is a printer’s proof from an edition of 120, plus 12 artist’s proofs and 5 printer’s proofs