Melbourne’s NGV was set to become a global hub for contemporary art the past summer with a major exhibition dedicated to the legendary Yayoi Kusama.
This world premiere was the largest Kusama retrospective ever held in Australia, featuring over 180 works spanning her eight-decade career.
A landmark Yayoi Kusama retrospective opens this October at Basel’s Fondation Beyeler, before traveling to Cologne and Amsterdam throughout 2026.
Opening on October 12, 2025, at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Yayoi Kusama offers a “complete overview” of the artist’s more than seven-decade career, according to the museum. The exhibition encompass everything from Kusama’s iconic polka dot paintings and pumpkin sculptures to her beloved Infinity Mirror Rooms. Given Kusama’s sprawling output and her experimental practice, a range of media is featured, spanning installations, drawings, collage, live performances, fashion, and literature. Also included are both early as well as new works, including some created specifically for this exhibition.
After its run at the Fondation Beyeler on 25 January 2026, Yayoi Kusama will land at Cologne’s Museum Ludwig on March 14, 2026, and, after that, at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum on September 11, 2026, where it’ll run through January 17, 2027.
One of Yayoi Kusama’s spotted pumpkin sculptures. (Photo: Yue-Ting Lin via Unsplash)
