Yayoi Kusama

MOMA Contemporary, Fukuoka
Private Collection, Tokyo

This work is in excellent condition. Under ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of inpainting. There are no condition problems with this work. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Yayoi Kusama's monochromatic Infinity Net paintings are unparalleled in their ability to transform the spaces they occupy due in part to the repetitiveness of the painterly corpuscles and the organic synthesis they form.  Immensely psychological, these compositions are the product of her ability to access her unconscious and communicate the sensations of her visions into fascinating webs of beauty and meaning. "Kusama's genius lies in her ability to work both from the inside out and from the outside in" (Love Forever: Yayoi Kusama, 1958-1968. Los Angeles, 1998, p. 81).

The present work, Infinity Nets (RRRTOW), is an outstanding example of Kusama's greatest series because of its ability to consume the viewer with a disorienting sense of unlimited time and space while simultaneously seeming to pulsate with radiant beauty. Donald Judd was an advocate of her monochromatic Infinity Nets, describing them as "resembling slabs of massive solid lace" and pronouncing them "advanced in concept'" (Laura Hoptman, Yayoi Kusama, London, 2000, p 42). As Judd suggests, at first glance the intricate brushwork seems to create a sense of overall solidity; however, as time passes the plane of grey and blue shades recedes thus illuminating a net-like form that consumes the viewer and his or her perception of time and space.