INFINITY NETS, 2001
Acrylic on canvas
130.1×162 cm (51.2×63.8 inches)
Signed and titled in English and dated 2001 on the reverse

 

Provenance
Pièce Unique, Paris (acquired directly from the artist)
Private collection, Paris (acquired from the above in 2001)
Duhamel Fine Art, Paris
Acquired by the present owner from the above

 

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 30 September 2017
HKD 9,100,000 / USD 1,164,949

Source: Sotheby’s
(#1052) Kusama Yayoi (sothebys.com)

 

 

A scintillating, radiantly resplendent work from Yayoi Kusama’s most iconic and celebrated series, Infinity Nets evinces a sublime duality that pairs the patterned feminine intricacy of lacework with the heroic scale of a Pollock canvas. The painting is a rare gold infinity net: delicate lapses between red polka-dots and the gold color field activate a shimmering aura that is regal, fiery and seductive. At first glance, the red dots are the obvious top layer, with the alluring gold beckoning from beneath. Upon closer inspection, one detects that Kusama has created the hundreds of tiny dots through a reverse process, where a sea of dexterous arcs of gold are overlaid on a red foundation. The dots emerge through the negative space, resulting in an overall engulfing hue of gleaming orange gold. Created from infinite quiet repetitive strokes, the work pulses with a rhythmically flowing surface that seems to alternately expand and recede from the viewer, evoking the signature hypnotic serenity that epitomizes Kusama’s entire legendary oeuvre.