Yayoi Kusama, Yellow Pumpkin, Naoshima, 2018. Courtesy Flickr, Creative Commons CC BY 2.0; photo: Garrett Ziegler
The iconic Pumpkin sculpture of Yayoi Kusama, valued at $3 million, was swept into the ocean by a storm in Naoshima Prefecture, western Japan. The sculpture was previously moved to safety in storms like those that are occurring more often due to climate change.
Kusama's pumpkins are known for having a history of mishaps. Angela Gulbenkian, a German socialite, was recently jailed for selling a similar Kusama Pumpkin to a buyer for $1.3million, knowing she didn't own it. A Kusama pumpkin was also damaged in an exhibition titled "Infinity Mirrored Room - All the Eternal Loving I Have for the Pumpkins" held at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., 2017. The incident occurred when a visitor tripped while taking a photo.
Kusama's London dealers, the Victoria Miro Gallery, describe Kusama’s Pumpkins as: "Since Kusama's earliest years, in a household that made their living growing plant seeds, Kusama was fascinated by the natural world. Kusama has always been drawn to nature, especially the vegetal and flower life. The pumpkin is still a prominent motif in her iconography, and she has returned to it repeatedly over the course of her career.
Some of her paintings and works on papers depict the plant as early as 1948. She rediscovered the theme after her 1970s return from New York to Japan. She started making serial works that depicted the pumpkin in different media, including paintings, prints, and sculptures. She has created small pumpkins the size of a key ring, and large pumpkins that are so big they dwarf the eye. She has used the unique knobbly patterning of pumpkin skins to inspire her dot-patterned textiles and paintings. Her 1993 presentation at the Venice Biennale's Japanese Pavilion featured pumpkins. Her iconic exterior sculpture, a huge yellow-and-black pumpkin, was placed at the Benesse Art Site Naoshima in 1994. This island is located in Japan's inland waters and is dedicated to art within nature. She loves pumpkins for their everyday hardiness and unique physical characteristics.
Jean Dubreil