Pumpkin, 1995, is an iconic pumpkin painting completed in a rich palette. Kusama has had an affinity with pumpkins since childhood and its form continues to occupy a special place in her iconography. It is a motif she has returned to throughout her career. The pumpkin form appears in some of her paintings and works on paper as early as 1948. After her return from New York to Japan in the 1970s, Kusama rediscovered the theme and began making works depicting the pumpkin in various media. The artist has a strong personal identification with the pumpkin, and has described her images of them as a form of self-portraiture. She admires pumpkins for their hardiness and everyday quality, as well as for their unique and pleasing physical qualities.

Born in Matsumoto City, Japan, in 1929, Yayoi Kusama lives and works in Tokyo. Over the past decade there have been museum exhibitions of Kusama’s work touring the world in North America, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Spain, England, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In 2016, Kusama received the Order of Culture, one of the highest honours bestowed by the Imperial Family. Kusama is the first woman to be honoured with the prestigious medal for drawings and sculptures. In 2021, the New York Botanical Garden will host an exhibition inspired by Kusama’s lifelong engagement with nature and fascination with the natural world. Among additional major exhibitions in 2021 is Kusama’s first large-scale retrospective in Germany, which takes place at the Gropius Bau in Berlin.