Yayoi Kusama’s works heavily feature dots, striking colours and stark contrast. Photo: NGV.
The Victorian Government has announced that the recent Yayoi Kusama exhibition at Melbourne’s NGV has broken the record as the best-attended ticketed art display in Australian history.
More than 480,000 people have visited the exhibition in the four months that it has been open. It runs until 21 April.
The previous record, held by the 2017 exhibition Van Gogh and the Seasons, also in Victoria, was 464,262. The event injected more than $51 million into the state’s economy.
“This record-breaking exhibition has brought five MCGs worth of visitors to the heart of Melbourne – that’s great for local jobs, great for local businesses and great for families looking for something to do these holidays,” Premier Jacinta Allan said.
The Kusama exhibition was supported by the Labor Government’s Major Events Fund and featured 200 works by the enduring icon of fashion and pop/feminist art. Kusama, now 96, has been working as a professional artist since the 1950s and has left a distinctive and colourful mark on the world of art.
Her works are heavily inspired by her own mental illness and childhood in wartime Japan. They encompass a broad range of disciplines, including sculpture, fashion, immersive rooms and painting.
With the exhibition closing soon, the Victorian Government is urging those who haven’t yet booked their tickets to do so quickly.
Visitors will experience decades of Kusama’s works, from her freshman efforts in her homeland of Japan to her meteoric rise in the US. It is a comprehensive look at the life and work of an artist who was present at some of the most important art movements of the past 70 years.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said: “We’re proud to help the NGV deliver these incredible experiences that captivate audiences from around the world, once again cementing Melbourne’s status as the cultural capital of the nation.”
The government has restated its commitment to cultural events and exhibitions in the state, including a major Frida Kahlo display in Bendigo and a Lego showcase at the Melbourne Museum.
Such events are a part of both cultural and economic policy, with the Allan Labor Government stating that the visitor economy is worth $40 billion to the state.
Further information on the record-breaking Kusama exhibition is available on the NGV’s website.
