Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama dies at 97

Japan's Yayoi Kusama, one of the world's most celebrated contemporary artists, has died aged 97, her company said Thursday, triggering tributes from fans around the world. The "polka dot queen", who passed away on August 14, transformed hallucinations and trauma into vibrant art featuring her trademark dots, nets and infinity motifs over a career spanning decades. "Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry," a statement said, confirming her death. "She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul," it added. Read more'A glimpse into deep shadows' behind the art of kabuki: 'Kokuho' director on his Japanese megahit Born in 1929, the youngest daughter of a wealthy family began producing her signature art aged 10. "One day, after seeing a tablecloth with a red flower pattern on a desk, I saw the same red flower pattern all over the ceiling, windows and pillars. It filled the room, and covered my body," s...