【文章标题】：Japanese polka dot artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97 波点艺术大师草间弥生去世 享年97岁
【文章正文】： Japanese polka dot artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97 日本前卫艺术家草间弥生去世，享年97岁。这位以色彩斑斓的波点雕塑和装置艺术闻名世界的艺术大师，数十年来自愿居住于精神疗养院，其标志性的鲜红色假发与巨型怪诞创作令人过目难忘。
Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who became famous for her colourful polka dot-covered sculptures and installations, has died at the age of 97. Kusama, who had voluntarily lived in a psychiatric hospital for decades, was known for her bright red wig and her giant, quirky creations.
Her exhibitions drew large crowds around the world, and her vibrant works fetched some of the highest ever prices for a female artist. 她的展览在全球引发观展热潮，那些充满生命力的作品屡次刷新女性艺术家拍卖纪录。
A statement from her company said: “Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry.” 工作室声明称：“在完全奉献给艺术创作的非凡一生中，草间弥生作为前卫艺术先驱享誉国际，其创作实践涵盖视觉艺术、行为艺术、小说与诗歌。”
Kusama died at a hospital in Tokyo on 14 August, the statement said. 声明显示，她于8月14日在东京一家医院离世。
It added: “She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul. 声明补充道：“直至生命最后时刻她仍执笔创作，从未停歇对永恒之爱与不朽灵魂的探索。”
“We will carry forward Kusama’s wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world.” “我们将继承草间遗志，通过艺术继续为世界人民带来未来的希望与力量。”
Kusama became one of the world’s most recognisable artists and a global cultural icon in her 80s and 90s, after having been mostly overlooked for decades. 在被艺术界忽视数十年后，草间弥生在八九十岁高龄成为全球最具辨识度的艺术家与文化象征。
Poorly received by a masculine-dominated art scene of New York in the 1960s, Kusama caused a stir with her exhibitions of phallic sculptures, including a fabric couch, and frequent displays of nudity. 1960年代在男性主导的纽约艺术圈备受冷遇的她，曾以阴茎雕塑展（包括织物沙发）和频繁的裸体展示引发轰动。
In 1965, her work “Infinity Mirror Rooms”, in which mirrors and lights create seemingly endless spaces, attracted millions of visitors. Later, her polka dot and pumpkin works became highly sought-after. 1965年，利用镜面与灯光营造无限空间感的《无限镜屋》吸引数百万人次观展。此后她的波点与南瓜系列成为收藏界宠儿。
However, she became distressed when her ideas were copied by or “inspired” her male contemporaries – including Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Lucas Samaras – whose works would be displayed at more prestigious galleries. 但当安迪·沃霍尔、克拉斯·奥尔登堡等男性同行”借鉴”其创意并在更负盛名的画廊展出时，她陷入巨大痛苦。
After spending years watching male artists gain recognition for her work, she returned home to Japan – feeling dejected and distraught. 目睹男性艺术家因她的创意获得认可多年后，心灰意冷的草间选择回到日本。
She entered a psychiatric facility receiving treatment for mental illnesses, where she would live and work for the remainder of her life. 她入住精神治疗机构接受诊疗，在此度过余生并持续创作。
Miraculously, she managed to find a hospital where the doctors were interested in art therapy and checked herself in. Such a secure environment allowed her to focus on creating art. 奇迹般地，她找到一家推崇艺术疗法的医院自主入住，这个安全港湾让她得以全心投入创作。
Through the 1970s and early 80s, her work depicted uncharacteristically dark series’ of collages in which she embraced the imagery of natural life cycles. 1970至80年代初，其作品罕见地呈现暗黑风格拼贴系列，融入了自然生命周期的意象。
Kusama went on to become Japan’s first solo artist to represent the country at the 1993 Venice Biennale. Twenty-seven years earlier, she had turned up, uninvited, and laid down 1,500 mirror balls on the ground. 1993年她成为首位代表日本参加威尼斯双年展的独立艺术家——27年前，她曾不请自来在地面铺设1500颗镜球。
The roaring success of the exhibition led to a huge transformation in how she was received both in Japan and abroad. 展览的巨大成功彻底改变了国内外对她的评价。
In 2001, she was awarded the Asahi Prize – recognising outstanding cultural, academic and artistic contributions in Japan. 2001年荣获朝日奖，表彰其在日本文化、学术与艺术领域的卓越贡献。
One of her paintings fetched about $10.5m (£7.7m) at auction in 2022, making her works some of the highest-earning in the world for a female artist. 2022年其画作以1050万美元（770万英镑）成交，成为全球女性艺术家最高价作品之一。
She held major exhibitions around the world, including at the Tate Modern gallery in London, which was ran for three years after being extended several times because of its popularity. 她在伦敦泰特现代美术馆等全球顶级场馆举办大展，其中泰特展览因超高人气多次延期，持续展出三年。
Catherine Wood, interim director of Tate Modern, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday it was “our most visited exhibition of all time because people really love Kusama’s work”. 泰特现代美术馆临时馆长凯瑟琳·伍德表示：“这是我们有史以来最受欢迎的展览，人们真心热爱草间的作品。”
The exhibition invited visitors into the artist’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. 展览带领观众走进艺术家的《无限镜屋》。
“You would step in there and the lights would go down, and it felt like you were looking into the mysteries of the Universe,” Wood said. “She was very good at conjuring this sense of wonder and infinity that she was obsessed with.” 伍德描述：“步入其中灯光渐暗，恍若窥见宇宙奥秘。她极擅营造这种令其痴迷的奇幻无限感。”
As a child, Kusama experienced hallucinations of embers and flashing – later using her art as a vehicle for others to understand her vision of the world. 童年时草间便出现火星闪烁的幻觉，后来她将艺术作为让他人理解其世界观载体。
“One day, after seeing a tablecloth with a red flower pattern on a desk, I saw the same red flower pattern all over the ceiling, windows and pillars. It filled the room, and covered my body,” she wrote in her autobiography. 她在自传中写道：“某日看见桌布红花图案后，天花、窗棂与立柱都覆满同样花纹，整个房间连同我的身体都被吞噬。”
Kusama was born in 1929 in the rural provincial town of Matsumoto, based in the central Nagano region of Japan. 1929年草间出生于日本长野县松本市乡间。
Her parents did not support her early moves to study painting in Kyoto. 父母最初反对她赴京都学画。
She was later told her artistry caused great shame to her conservative family. Some elements of the US press also criticised what they perceived as an endless desire for publicity – either in her messaging promoting peace or critiquing the art establishment. 保守家族视其艺术为耻辱，美国媒体也曾批评她”永无止境的曝光欲”——无论是宣扬和平还是批判艺术体制。
The world, along with her native Japan, radically changed its perception of Kusama in her later life. 晚年时，世界与日本本土对她的认知发生根本转变。
Social media fuelled a spike in interest over recent years – with her museum’s bold floral shapes and shiny steel orbs turning into a desired backdrop for selfies and poses. 近年社交媒体助推热潮，其美术馆的巨型花卉雕塑与闪亮钢球成为打卡圣地。
Among her many motifs, the pumpkin has become iconic 在众多创作母题中，南瓜已成为不朽符号。