>"Yayoi Kusama has become one of the world's most recognizable artists. Here's how did she become a museum favorite and a market darling."

In mid-April, 91-year-old artist Yayoi Kusama had words for the coronavirus. The pandemic had caused numerous disruptions to her world. The psychiatric hospital where she lives in Tokyo was on lockdown, preventing her from going to work at her nearby studio. Her corporation, KUSAMA YAYOI Co., Ltd.,

During Kusama’s 15-year stay in New York, from 1958 to 1973, though she was as relentless in developing her major series of artworks—“Infinity Net” paintings, stuffed-phallus-covered “Accumulation” objects, “Infinity Mirror Rooms,” and performances and polka-dot-painting Happenings—as she was in trying to make a living, she faced hardship and disappointment at nearly every turn.

Because of an editing error, a previous version of this article referred to Ramiken as Ursuta’s “former” gallerist. The gallery will continue working with Ursuta. This article has been corrected to reflect this.