Home / Art

Five Artworks by Yayoi Kusama Sell at Sotheby’s Auction for Nearly $23 Million

By Margherita Cole on April 14, 2023

Yayoi Kusama wax model at Louis Vitton for 2012 collection unveiling. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has become a household name, and it's no wonder why. Her unique vision of immersive installations and polka-dot-covered objects cannot be mistaken for anyone else, and to this day, her exhibitions are among the most visited around the world. Recently, the 94-year-old artist made another landmark accomplishment, with five of her artworks selling for a total of $22.9 million at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong. These prices are among the highest paid for Kusama's art throughout her long career.

The auction took place on Wednesday, April 5, and is the first time works of these kinds were sold in a public auction in Asia. Among the purchased pieces was Pumpkin (L), a massive bronze pumpkin sculpture, embellished with Kusama's signature polka dots, which was created in 2014. This work alone went for $7.98 million to an anonymous phone bidder. Similarly, a pumpkin painting, titled A-Pumpkin, was sold for an impressive $7 million.

However, the most unusual work to be sold at this auction was My Heart is Flying to the Universe, made in 2018—this is in a similar vein to her Infinity Mirror Rooms which are exhibited around the globe. It features a mirrored box with LED lighting and a small opening for viewers to peer inside. The final price for this piece was $3.29 million, and while that is impressive, it is also notable for being the first work of this kind to be sold at a public auction in Asia.

For now, Kusama's record-high auction purchase of $10.9 million for her Infinity Nets is unbroken, but we are sure to see more impressive feats in the near future.