YAYOI KUSAMA Museum
Art museum · Shinjuku ·
Museum dedicated to Yayoi Kusama's polka dots, sculptures, paintings
Museum dedicated to Yayoi Kusama's polka dots, sculptures, paintings
"I planned museum visits in Tokyo to include the Yayoi Kusama Museum, which my family adores and that we see as a must for appreciating contemporary Japanese art together." - Chelsee Lowe Chelsee Lowe Chelsee Lowe is a Los Angeles-based writer with an obsession with good eats and interesting stories. She regularly contributes to Travel + Leisure, TravelAge West, Ventura Blvd, and L.A. Parent, writing about food, family travel, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"In a suburban part of Shinjuku, a smooth white building rises five stories high—a museum completely devoted to the works of Yayoi Kusama. The building looks slim, but it houses a bulk of the larger-than-life and avant-garde artist’s pieces, including an installation of her “infinity room” series (an Instagram sensation which, in the past, drew hundreds of thousands of visitors in stateside exhibitions) to polka-dotted paintings and sculptures. The museum changes its exhibition two times a year, and as it’s still relatively new, it’s only cracked the surface of the prolific artist’s work." - Anna Chittenden, Melinda Joe
"Then head to Tokyo, where the artist opened a museum dedicated to her work. Exhibitions are on semi-annual rotation: The current show is a mix of collages, furniture, and oversized polka-dot sculptures created over four decades and runs through January 31; the next exhibition has not yet been announced. As with most Kusama exhibits, you'll need to buy the 1,000 yen ($9) tickets online a month in advance for one of the four 90-minute slots per day."
"Book well in advance if you want to snag a 90-minute time slot to the world’s only museum dedicated to the fabulously eccentric Yayoi Kusama. The avant-garde provocateur has been turning heads since the 1960s, but recent years she has transformed into an internet phenomenon and one of the most influential artists in Japan. Located near her studio in Shinjuku, the museum is one of Tokyo’s hottest openings of the last few years. Only 200 lucky visitors make it in daily, which keeps the Instragram influencers from crowding works like the mirrored “Infinity Room.” While the museum doesn’t have much floor space to work with, the architects have made sure that every corner of it is photogenic; even the elevators beg for selfies. Ride one up to the fifth floor to find another flamboyant, glittering gourd up on the roof by the reading room. In addition to her larger-scale works, the museum displays paintings and all sorts of other polka dots, and special exhibitions change twice a year." - Diana Hubbell
