Provenance
Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo
Catalogue Essay
In 1958 Yayoi Kusama arrived to New York from Japan and produced her first large Infinity Nets work. Since then, her name has become firmly associated with the polka dot as Kusama has consistently reverted back to the notion of capturing infinity in art through this form of mark-making.

What distinctly characterises all of Kusama’s Infinity Nets, is their inherent kinetic quality. The manner in which the artist varies the concentration of dots allowing them to spread away from each other or mingle closely, creates an almost hypnotic instability in her pieces. Consequently, her canvases embody an obsessive neatness and clarity, whilst also displaying an unsystematic aesthetic that seems to permit free movement within its components as the dots appear to rearrange themselves before the viewer’s eyes.

Infinity-Nets OZEH painted in 2011 is a mature example of Kusama’s preoccupation with this subject matter. The typically large scale has an overwhelming effect and the sensation of vertigo is induced as the swirling dots seem to open up into an alternative universe – one we feel compelled to enter through this unlocked gateway. The title of this ever-growing series, hints at something altogether more ominous. Infinity Nets could suggest a form of entrapment or, alternatively, a safety net to fall back on. Perhaps this ambiguousness mirrors the artist’s creative process; Kusama is unable to detach herself from the Infinity Nets that permeate her creativity, but at the same time maybe she has found comfort in reassessing their familiar form in endless versions of the subject matter.

The Infinity Nets are Yayoi Kusama’s most enduring legacy and it is through this inexhaustible series of works that Kusama announced her status as one of the most important Japanese artists of the twentieth century.
Artist Biography
Yayoi Kusama
Japanese
Named "the world's most popular artist" in 2015, it's not hard to see why Yayoi Kusama continues to dazzle contemporary art audiences globally. From her signature polka dots—"fabulous," she calls them—to her mirror-and-light Infinity Rooms, Kusama's multi-dimensional practice of making art elevates the experience of immersion. To neatly pin an artistic movement onto Kusama would be for naught: She melds and transcends the aesthetics and theories of many late twentieth century movements, including Pop Art and Minimalism, without ever taking a singular path.

As an nonagenarian who still lives in Tokyo and steadfastly paints in her studio every day, Kusama honed her punchy cosmic style in New York City in the 1960s. During this period, she staged avant-garde happenings, which eventually thrust her onto the international stage with a series of groundbreaking exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in the 1980s and the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993. She continues to churn out paintings and installations at inspiring speed, exhibiting internationally in nearly every corner of the globe, and maintains a commanding presence on the primary market and at auction.

View More Works

27

Yayoi Kusama

Infinity-Nets (OPARHJ)

2012
acrylic on canvas
130.5 x 130.5 cm (51 3/8 x 51 3/8 in.)
Signed, titled and dated 'YAYOI KUSAMA "OPARHJ INFINITY-NETS" 2012' on the reverse.

Estimate
£250,000 - 350,000 ‡

Sold for £530,500

Contact Specialist
Peter Sumner
Head of Contemporary Art, London
psumner@phillips.com
+44 207 318 4063

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London 14 October 2015 7pm

1
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Blue Eyes Brown Hanging Perforated Mark M3.d)
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡
Sold for £116,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Rosemarie Trockel
Study for Old Friend
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡♠
Sold for £200,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Peter Doig
Bird House
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
Sold for £242,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Richard Prince
Untitled (Cowboy)
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ‡
Sold for £602,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Three-Tiered Perspective)
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ‡
Sold for £842,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Christopher Wool
Untitled
Estimate £1,500,000 - 2,500,000 ‡
Sold for £2,266,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Christopher Wool
Untitled (Jazz death)
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ‡
Sold for £1,314,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ‡♠
Sold for £1,930,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Yoshitomo Nara
Missing in Action
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ‡
Sold for £1,986,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Anish Kapoor
Untitled
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡♠
Sold for £458,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Keith Haring
Untitled
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £218,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Keith Haring
Untitled (Head Stand)
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £482,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
John Baldessari
Two Dogs and Two Aliens
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £266,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Ed Ruscha
Pneumatic Muscles Hydraulic Smiles
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡
Sold for £386,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
15
George Condo
Stranger on a Plane
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £194,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Albert Oehlen
Omegasachen-35
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £302,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
Damien Hirst
Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £362,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Alighiero Boetti
Alternandosi e Dividendosi
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £302,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Lucio Fontana
Concetto Spaziale, Attese
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ♠
Sold for £1,314,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Cy Twombly
Untitled
Estimate £8,000,000 - 12,000,000 ‡
Sold for £7,922,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Mark Bradford
Constitution IV
Estimate £2,000,000 - 3,000,000 ‡
Sold for £3,778,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
Tauba Auerbach
Untitled (Fold)
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ‡
Sold for £1,426,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
23
Danh Vo
VJ Star
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ‡♠
Sold for £602,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
Richard Prince
Untitled (Couples)
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £152,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Urs Fischer
Horse Fraud
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £362,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
Cory Arcangel
Photoshop CS: 110 by 72 inches, 300 DPI, RGB, square pixels, default gradient "Russell's Rainbow" (turn transparency off), mousedown y=25300 x=17600, mouse up y=4300 x=17600
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000
Sold for £158,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Yayoi Kusama
Infinity-Nets (OPARHJ)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £530,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Sterling Ruby
SP60
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000
Sold for £482,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
Josef Albers
Homage to the Square: Wide Sight (study)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £338,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Neo Rauch
Die Lage
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £866,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Anselm Kiefer
The Secret Life of Plants
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £362,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Anselm Kiefer
Paete non Dolet
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
Sold for £218,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Antony Gormley
Domain XV
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £218,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
This lot is no longer available.
35
Jonas Wood
D.J.
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £62,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
Richard Prince
Untitled (portrait)
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £98,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
37
KAWS
Snoopy: Red Baron
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £128,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London 14 October 2015 7pm

Create your first list.

Provenance

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

Yayoi Kusama

27

Yayoi Kusama

Infinity-Nets (OPARHJ)

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.