Yayoi Kusama’s retrospective at Fondation Beyeler, Riehen
The first Swiss museum retrospective of Yayoi Kusama’s art will take place at Fondation Beyeler from 12 October 2025 till 25 January 2026. Easily recognized through her omnipresent polka dots, gigantic objects, and otherworldly spaces, like Infinity Mirror Rooms, Yayoi Kusama was named one of the top-selling contemporary artists in 2023; she is probably the one you would think of first upon the word collocation a Japanese female artist.
Organized by a team of curators from three institutions at once, namely Foundation Beyeler (Mouna Mekouar), Museum Ludwig (Stephan Diederich) and Stedelijk Museum (Leontine Coelewij), the project aims at encountering the full scope of Kusama’s art practice, including her first major exhibition in Switzerland and her participation in the Dutch Null Group exhibitions in 1962-1965. Throughout her tense but exciting career, Yayoi Kusama has been elegantly balancing between minimalism and pop art, preserving her distinct artistic voice all the way. For instance, Yayoi was one of the few who tackled political and social issues in her series of outspoken performances and happenings in the 1960s. While hardly conceivable at all in Japan, the type of bold agency Kusama demonstrated at that time still remained questionable in the US especially for a migrant woman. Yet the Princess of Polka Dots, as she calls herself, has never been scared of unleashing her rage and making a sincere statement.
The exhibition at Foundation Beyeler features some main topics that the Japanese artist has addressed in her work, such as infinity, accumulation, connectivity, and care, through a range of artistic media. Kusama has worked across various genres including but not limited to painting, sculpture, installation, and film, which never prevented her from following her inner voice. The particular feature of the opening at the Beyeler Foundation is that it focuses on some under-explored periods of the artist’s career as well as her pioneering endeavours that no doubt caused both fascination and envy among the peers on the New York arts scene. As the project organizers mention in the catalogue, the main goal of the retrospective is to introduce even more viewers, especially those of younger age, to the richness and diversity of Yayoi Kusama’s practice.
The completeness of the statement could not have been achieved without the support of some individuals, galleries, and initiatives. The Beyeler expresses its special gratitude to the Yayoi Kusama Foundation, Yayoi Kusama Inc., Art Room 748, the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo as well as the galleries representing the artist, namely, Victoria Miro, David Zwirner, and Ota Fine Arts. Last but not least, the heroine of the exhibition, Yayoi Kusama herself was as kind as to help the Beyeler curators navigate through the retrospective, making it sound more poignant and convincing.
Dates: 12 October 2025 — 25 January 2026 Location: Riehen, Switzerland