FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Entertainment

The World's Most Popular Artist in 2014: Yayoi Kusama

Millions all over the world flocked to the polka-dot pioneer's surreal exhibitions last year.
Infinity Mirror Room – Phallis Field (Floor Show), (1965-98). Image courtesy of Yayoi Kusama.

It's official: Yayoi Kusama's exhibitions racked up the highest attendance rate of any artist in the world in 2014, according to The Art Newspaper's annual survey, released yesterday. More than two million people visited the 86-year-old Japanese artist's retrospective Infinite Obsession last year as it traveled through Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia, and Mexico City. A second retrospective, A Dream I Dreamed, was traveling throughout Asia, which, combined with hit shows at the Whitney, the Centre Pompidou, and Tate Modern, put the polka-dot pioneer head and shoulders above artists including Jeff Koons, whose recent retrospective was the 10th most visited show in New York City.

Advertisement

The Kusama retrospectives will continue to bring her mind-boggling artworks—which you can learn more about in our "Original Creators" feature—to Taiwan, New Delhi, and Santiago, suggesting that 2015 may very well be her year, too.

Check out the rest of The Art Newspaper's annual report here.

Related:

14 Weird and Wonderful Works at The Armory Show

Original Creators: "The Princess Of Polka Dots" Yayoi Kusama

Enter Takashi Murakami's World of Anime Scrolls and Otaku Demons