Pumpkin, 1997.

A pioneering artist who works in painting, sculpture, installations, and performance art, Kusama gained fame in the late 1950s for her works utilizing “obliterating” dots and “infinity” net patterns. Pumpkins are a familiar and comforting childhood object to the artist, who suffers from obsessive thoughts and hallucinations. Kusama finds relief from her anxieties by repeatedly creating the pumpkin, which she sees as an object of warmth and humor. Here, the pumpkin is shown with a regulated, rhythmic dotting of black against a yellow background, which epitomizes Kusama’s conceptual approach to art-making, which combines Pop Art, Minimalism, and Op Art.

LOOK FOR: The careful application of black dots in graduated sizes suggesting the advance and recession of the lobed form of the pumpkin.