The Fondation Beyeler Presents 300 Works by Yayoi Kusama

11 November 2025

Fondation Beyeler presents the first exhibition in Switzerland dedicated to the work of Yayoi Kusama (*1929), one of the most groundbreaking artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibition, developed in close collaboration with the artist and her studio, brings together over 300 works from Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Sweden, France and Switzerland.

Image from the exhibition ‘Yayoi Kusama’. © Yayoi Kusama. Photo: TES

Spanning over seven decades, the exhibition traces Kusama’s extraordinary journey from her earliest creative efforts in postwar Japan to her internationally celebrated status today.

Taihaku leaves, Loquat leaves.

Untitled (Monkey sketches). First Drawings and Watercolours, 1948. Collection: © Yayoi Kusama

Beginning with rarely seen paintings and watercolours made in the early 1950s in her hometown of Matsumoto, the exhibition follows her bold transition to New York in the late 1950s, where she played a formative role in the avant-garde scenes of the 1960s and 1970s.

Returning to Japan in the 1970s, Kusama continued to reinvent her artistic language in deeply personal and politically resonant ways. Today, she is arguably the most well-known living female artist and remains a force of remarkable innovation and relevance, creating new work with undiminished intensity.

Infinity Mirrored Room – The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe, 2025. © Yayoi Kusama. Foto: TES

Her practice spans a rich array of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, performance, collage, fashion, literature, and film, making her one of the most versatile and influential artists of our time.

The exhibition showcases a diverse range of iconic pieces, including over 130 works that have never been exhibited in Europe, as well as new works created specifically for this occasion.

(Source and further information: Fondation Beyeler)