Rare Artwork Gifted by Yayoi Kusama to Her Doctor Could Sell for up to $14 Million USD

The prolific artist had used her works as currency to pay for her medical treatments.

5 Comments

Rare early artwork by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama that have never been exhibited to the public will soon be up for sale.

The pieces, which feature her signature Infinity Nets motif, will be offered in a special single-owner collection sale at Bonhams New York in May called Kusama: The Collection of the late Dr Teruo Hirose. There will be three paintings and eights works on paper available, and the total collection is estimated to be worth up to $14 million USD.

Kusama gifted the art to her lifelong friend and doctor Teruo Hirose, who came to America from Japan within a few years of Kusama. He made a name for himself by providing low-cost or pro bono medical care to Japanese immigrants, including Kusama, who used her artwork as currency to pay for her medical treatments.

According to Bonhams, the paintings reflect the use of color not usually seen in Kusama’s later work.

“These early works are exceptionally rare due to Kusama’s use of the color red — almost all her other works of this period are white. The third painting in the collection, Untitled, is a very early example of Kusama combining vibrant colors and the scale of the work lends an immersive quality, something that foreshadows the artist’s later work such as her Infinity Rooms.”

In other news, a new book about Kusama’s career and her profound mental health journey will be available for purchase on April 22.

Read Full Article

What to Read Next

teamLab Launches Unprecedented Digital Art and Sauna Experience

teamLab Launches Unprecedented Digital Art and Sauna Experience

Experience art in the “finest mental state.”

IKEA Recruits Daniel Arsham and Four Other Artists for 2021 Art Event Collection

IKEA Recruits Daniel Arsham and Four Other Artists for 2021 Art Event Collection

Creating artworks that also work as functional homeware.

France Will Return Klimt Painting Looted by Nazis to Rightful Owners

France Will Return Klimt Painting Looted by Nazis to Rightful Owners

The painting had previously been displayed at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Sotheby's Publicly Displays Vincent van Gogh Painting for the First Time

Sotheby's Publicly Displays Vincent van Gogh Painting for the First Time

Hitting the auction block with a pre-sale estimate between $6-$9.7 million USD.

Motoi Yamamoto Crafts 100,000 Sakura Petals From Salt

Motoi Yamamoto Crafts 100,000 Sakura Petals From Salt

As a way to cope with the loss of his loved ones.


YouTube Photographer and Videographer Captures the Mesmerizing Dissolution of M&Ms

YouTube Photographer and Videographer Captures the Mesmerizing Dissolution of M&Ms

Unlike most things, you can in fact try this at home.

Illust Space Announces Auction for MF DOOM Augmented Reality Artwork
Sales

Illust Space Announces Auction for MF DOOM Augmented Reality Artwork

Presented by Illust Space
Fans can now own a virtual MF DOOM-inspired mask, powered by NFTs.

New Media Artist Lu Yang Releases 'Material World Knight' Print Editions

New Media Artist Lu Yang Releases 'Material World Knight' Print Editions

Merging the worlds of anime and video game art.

Ryan Travis Christian Pokes Fun at Eagles in "Cryin Ryan" Exhibition

Ryan Travis Christian Pokes Fun at Eagles in "Cryin Ryan" Exhibition

Unveiling oil-on-canvas paintings for the first time.

AllRightsReserved "MEET Brian Calvin Project" Embraces Abstraction

AllRightsReserved "MEET Brian Calvin Project" Embraces Abstraction

Complete with a close-up treatment and luminous colors.

More ▾
 
We got you covered. Don’t miss out on the latest news by signing up for our newsletters.

Looks like you’re using an ad-blocker

We charge advertisers instead of our readers. Support us by whitelisting our site.

Whitelist Us

How to Whitelist Us

screenshot
  1. Click the AdBlock icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Under “Pause on this site” click “Always”.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the AdBlock Plus icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Block ads on – This website” switch off the toggle to turn it from blue to gray.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the AdBlocker Ultimate icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Switch off the toggle to turn it from “Enabled on this site” to “Disabled on this site”.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the Ghostery icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Click on the “Ad-Blocking” button at the bottom. It will turn gray and the text above will go from “ON” to “OFF”.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the UBlock Origin icon in the browser extension area in the upper right-hand corner.
  2. Click on the large blue power icon at the top.
  3. When it turns gray, click the refresh icon that has appeared next to it or click the button below to continue.
screenshot
  1. Click the icon of the ad-blocker extension installed on your browser.You’ll usually find this icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. You may have more than one ad-blocker installed.
  2. Follow the instructions for disabling the ad blocker on the site you’re viewing.You may have to select a menu option or click a button.
  3. Refresh the page or click the button below to continue.