{"id":11182,"date":"2025-08-20T08:45:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T08:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/11182\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T08:45:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T08:45:10","slug":"yayoi-kusama-exhibition-is-the-most-visited-in-australias-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/11182\/","title":{"rendered":"Yayoi Kusama Exhibition Is the Most Visited in Australia’s History"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cLOVE IS CALLING,\u201d 2013 (Photo: Sean Fennessy)<\/p>\n

Yayoi Kusama has a habit of setting records. In 2024, Kusama clocked $58.8 million in auction sales<\/a>\u2014the highest total by a contemporary artist for the second year<\/a> in a row. Last December, the Melbourne-based National Gallery of Victoria<\/a> (NGV) staged Australia\u2019s largest retrospective exhibition<\/a> of the renowned Japanese artist, encompassing more than 200 artworks across nine decades of creative output. By the time it closed in April 2025, Yayoi Kusama became the most popular exhibition in Australian history.<\/p>\n

All told, NGV reported that 570,537 tickets were purchased to attend the show, breaking the museum\u2019s previous record of 462,262 tickets sold for the 2017 exhibition Van Gogh<\/a> and the Seasons. Not included in NGV\u2019s calculations were the country\u2019s well-attended archaeological exhibitions, including the Melbourne Museum\u2019s Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which drew in nearly 797,000 visitors. Among this impressive tally were such beloved luminaries as Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan, and Finneas.<\/p>\n

This milestone alone proves that contemporary artists are beginning to surpass some of art history\u2019s heaviest hitters (in this case, Van Gogh<\/a>). It also reveals the cultural capital and visibility that Kusama has amassed as one of the world\u2019s most renowned artists, garnering attention from children, adults, seasoned critics, and casual museum-goers alike. That popularity can be credited in large part to Kusama\u2019s aesthetic, which combines a playful simplicity with vibrant explosions of color. Her signature polka dots, pumpkins, and \u201cinfinity rooms<\/a>\u201d in particular have catapulted her to international and pop cultural recognition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have observed and overheard a lot of people say they are not usually gallery visitors, but they came because of the interest it was inspiring in people they knew,\u201d Wayne Crothers, NGV\u2019s senior curator of Asian art, told The Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This also extended to kids, teens, and young adults. The universality of Kusama\u2019s visuals attracted both families and younger generations, whether it be due to how irresistible, reputable, trendy, or \u201cselfie-friendly\u201d her visuals are. Most notably, for Crothers, was how younger visitors would often bring friends and, at times, even return to the exhibition with their parents in tow.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally it has worked the other way\u2014the older generations often bring in the young people who are less likely to regularly go to galleries,\u201d Crothers explains. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the opposite here. Then the people who found it emotional and special have come back for second visits. Some people thought, \u2018Oh, the grandkids will love this,\u2019 and came back with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even for the pickiest of visitors, Yayoi Kusama was expansive enough to maintain its broad appeal. Not only did the exhibition feature Kusama\u2019s claims to fame (think, 10 infinity rooms), but some more unexpected items, like drawings created by the artist at only 9 years old. It also showcased just how multidisciplinary Kusama\u2019s practice is, encompassing painting, collage, fashion, video, and monumental installations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the first impressionist show opened in 1870, art buffs were snobbish about it being commercial and for the common masses,\u201d Crothers explains. \u201cIf people say, \u2018I think it\u2019s just crass populism\u2019\u2014why shouldn\u2019t art be enjoyed by the general masses?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yayoi Kusama<\/a> was on view at NGV from December 15, 2024, to April 21, 2025. For an inside look after the fact, read our own review<\/a> of the exhibition.\n<\/p>\n

Yayoi Kusama\u2019s recent retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria has become the most visited exhibition in Australian history.
\n\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Photo: Danielle Castano<\/p>\n

\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u201cDancing Pumpkin,\u201d 2020. Purchased by NGV with funds donated by Loti & Victor Smorgon Fund, 2024 (Photo: Sean Fennessy)<\/p>\n

\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Photo: Danielle Castano<\/p>\n

During its four-month run, the exhibition attracted more than 570,000 total visitors, thanks in large part to Kusama\u2019s star-studded reputation and universal appeal.
\n\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Photo: Danielle Castano<\/p>\n

\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cThe Spirit of the Pumpkins Descended to the Heavens,\u201d 2017 (Photo: Sean Fennessy)<\/p>\n

\"Yayoi<\/p>\n

Installation view of \u201cWith all my love for the tulips, I pray forever,\u201d 2013 (Photo: Sean Fennessy)<\/p>\n

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by NGV.
\nSources: Yayoi Kusama: why this 96-year-old artist\u2019s show is the most popular in Australian history<\/a>; Yayoi Kusama survey at National Gallery of Victoria becomes best-selling art exhibition in Australian history<\/a>
\nRelated Articles:<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Museum Celebrates 200th Anniversary with Decadent Exhibition About Gold [Interview]<\/a><\/p>\n

Sir David Attenborough Narrates Immersive \u2018Our Story\u2019 Experience at London\u2019s Natural History Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

Remarkable Museum Exploring Materiality and Immersion Will Open in Kyoto This Fall<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Installation view of \u201cLOVE IS CALLING,\u201d 2013 (Photo: Sean Fennessy) Yayoi Kusama has a habit of setting records.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[365,362,363,364,366,18,117,2037,19,17,10823,10824,10825],"class_list":{"0":"post-11182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-eire","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-exhibition","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-the-national-gallery-of-victoria","19":"tag-yayoi-kusama","20":"tag-yayoi-kusama-retrospective"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}