Kusama was born in Matsumoto City in Nagano, Japan. An artist with a history of mental illness since childhood, Kusama’s visual and aural hallucinations inspired thematic motifs throughout her artistic career. In 1948, Kusama left home to study traditional Japanese Nihonga painting in Kyoto, but found the environment too stifling and eventually moved to New York in 1957, where she joined the avant-garde scene and worked alongside important artistic figures such as Donald Judd, Joseph Cornell, and Andy Warhol. During this period, Kusama completed some of her most important series, including her renowned Infinity Nets. Kusama has expanded her impressive repertoire to include painting, collage, sculpture, film-making, design and even writing. Currently based in Tokyo, her most recent work includes a collaboration with fashion giant Louis Vuitton for their Fall 2012 collection. Selected Public Collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA Queensland Art Gallery – Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan Selected Solo Exhibitions: “Yayoi Kusama” The First Community Center, Matsumoto, Japan, 1952 “Yayoi Kusama” Zoe Dusanne Gallery, Seattle, USA, 1957 “Recent Paintings: Yayoi Kusama” Stephen Radich Gallery, New York, USA, 1961 “Aggregation: One Thousand Boats Show” Gertrude Stein Gallery, New York, USA, 1963 “Kusama's Peep Show/ Endless Love Show” R. Castellane Gallery, New York, USA, 1966 “Yayoi Kusama” Musee des Beaux-Arts de Calais, Calais, France, 1986 “Yayoi Kusama: Retrospective” Center for International Contemporary Arts, New York, USA, 1989 “Yayoi Kusama” The 45th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, 1993 “Love Forever: YAYOI KUSAMA 1958-1968” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA; The Museum Modern Art, New York, USA; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan, 1998-1999 “Yayoi Kusama” Le consortium, Dijon, France; Maison de la culture du Japon, Paris， France; Kunsthallen Brants Kædefabrik, Odense, Denmark; Les Abattoirs, Toulouse, France; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria; Artsonje Center, Seoul, Korea; Artsonje Museum, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea, 2001-2003 “Yayoi Kusama Prints & Pumpkin Ceramic Object Exhibition” Jean Art Center, Seoul, Korea, 2003 “Yoyoi Kusama” Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany; Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland, 2004 “Yayoi Kusama Metamorphosis” Galleria Civica Modena, Modena, Italy, 2006 “Yayoi Kusama: Dots Obsession - Dots Transformed into Love" Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany; WIELS, Brussel, Belgium; La Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris, France, 2008 “Yayoi Kusama” Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA, 2012