Her polka dots covered the Champs-Élysées, a giant yellow pumpkin took up residence on Place Vendôme, and a 15-meter-tall replica of herself once dominated Rue du Pont-Neuf. Yayoi Kusama died at the age of 97, her studio announced on Thursday, August 27. The Japanese artist passed away on August 14 in a Tokyo hospital. A major figure in contemporary art, she also leaves behind several images that have become particularly familiar to Parisians in recent years.
One of the most spectacular dates back to 2019. Invited by FIAC to take over Place Vendôme, Kusama installed *Life of the Pumpkin Recites, All About the Biggest Love for the People*. This immense yellow pumpkin covered in black polka dots was then the largest inflatable sculpture ever created by the artist. Installed just a few meters from the column, it was supposed to remain on view for a week but was ultimately taken down earlier than planned due to high winds. And in 2024, for Art Basel, another pumpkin—this time a golden one—also took over the streets.
When Yayoi Kusama Covered Paris in Polka Dots
Four years later, her new collaboration with Louis Vuitton gave rise to several monumental installations in early 2023. On the Champs-Élysées, a giant red-haired Kusama leans out from the roof of the boutique, while multicolored polka dots cover the facade.
The project took on yet another dimension a few weeks later across from La Samaritaine. A 15-meter-tall statue depicting the artist, brush in hand, appeared in front of Louis Vuitton’s headquarters on Rue du Pont-Neuf. It gave the impression that she was painting the colorful polka dots on the facade directly. The installation, which was widely photographed, also sparked debate in Paris due to its promotional nature.
Paris had, however, discovered her work long before these large-scale installations. In 2011, the Centre Pompidou organized the first major French retrospective dedicated to Kusama, featuring approximately 150 works spanning more than sixty years of her career. The museum currently houses several of her pieces, including *My Flower Bed* from 1962 and *Macaroni Dress* from 1964.
Her work is also featured in the Louis Vuitton Foundation’s collection. The foundation notably owns the first “Infinity Mirror Room,” created in 1965: a room covered in mirrors where white shapes with red polka dots repeat endlessly. The work is not on permanent display, but it was notably exhibited in Paris in 2019.
Pumpkins, polka dots, mirrors, and monumental self-portraits: few contemporary artists have ultimately occupied the Parisian landscape in such an instantly recognizable way. And while many of these installations were temporary, images of them remain among the most memorable artistic interventions seen in the capital in recent years.