YAYOI KUSAMA - Citrouille (II) (Signed and Framed), 2000

YAYOI KUSAMA (b.1929)

Citrouille (II) (Signed and Framed), 2000

Screenprint [4 screens, 4 colours, 6 runs], lamé [2 colours]

Image size: 38 by 45.5 cm; 14.96 by 17.91 in

Sheet size: 50 by 65 cm; 19.68 by 25.59 in

Framed size: 65.2 by 70.7 cm; 25.66 by 27.83 in

 

Executed in 2000, this work is a hors commerce from an edition of 60 plus 10 hors commerces and 15 artist's proofs. Printed by Atelier Eric Seydoux, Paris, published by FMR Trading Limited, Hirakata, Japan.

Hand-signed by the artist, signed and inscribed "H.C." lower right and lower left respectively.

 

Provenance

Acquired from the publisher, Atelier Eric Seydoux, Paris in early 2000s

Literature

Yayoi Kusama Prints 1979-2017, Tokyo, 2019, no. 283, p. 168 (another example illustrated)

Artwork Description

Celebrated as one of the most influential living artists, Yayoi Kusama is renowned for her installations, sculptures, and paintings. Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan, Kusama began painting pumpkins and creating artwork to express her hallucinations at a young age, which would later shape her career. In 1958, after moving to Seattle, she moved to New York City where she became friends with artists Donald Judd and Joseph Cornell. It was during this time that Infinity Nets paintings, intricate webs and repetitive brushstrokes were developed. Through organising and participating in a series of happenings and Pop performances, Kusama rose to prominence in the 1960s. Although she returned to Japan since the early 1970s due to the status of her mental health, she continued to create art in the hospital and later returned to the scene at the 1993 Venice Biennale. In 2021, Kusama’s acrylic on canvas Pumpkin (LPASG) (2013) has broken her previous records with HK $62.5 million (US $8 million) at Christie’s auction.

Kusama's work is in the collections of museums throughout the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix; Tate Modern, London; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT; and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. In October 2006, Kusama became the first Japanese woman to receive the Praemium Imperiale, one of Japan's highest honours for internationally recognized artists.

Kusama has been suffering from mental disorders throughout her life, the “soul” is like an old friend whom she has revisited over and over for many years in the process of finding her true self and inner peace. According to Kusama, the recurring subject of “pumpkin” in her works has always acted as a home to her soul and provide her with great comfort and calmness against the mental chaos.

This limited-edition print, titled Citrouille (II), is hand-signed by the artist on the lower right; titled, dated 2000 and inscribed ‘H.C.’ on the lower left. Executed in 2000, this was printed by Atelier Eric Seydoux, Paris and published by FMR Limited, Osaka, Japan with a numbered edition of 60 plus 10 hors commerces and 15 artist's proofs, from which it is a hors commerce. It is published in “Yayoi Kusama: Prints 1979-2017" by ABE Publishing Ltd, Tokyo, Japan. Given the size, vibrant colours and special treatment of this print, as well as its limited edition, it is one of the most valuable editioned works by Yayoi Kusama available. In this work, a pumpkin of a significant size is sitting still in the centre like the works by Kusama, yet what distinguishes it from the others is that it is coated with multiple layers of lamé, a particularly new and special treatment to a screenprint back in early 2000s, which allows it to stand out in silvery glow and even brighten up the signature patterns by Kusama such as the polka dots and infinity nets scattering in the background.

*HC – Hors Commerce (translated to ‘out of trade’, in English)

Translated from French as ‘not to sell’ or ‘out of trade’, a Hors Commerce (HC) print proof is an impression that is typically not for sale. Usually reserved for the publisher, HC prints are often gifted by the artist. The rarest of all the types of editions, HC prints are considered the most valuable.

 

 

草間彌生（1929年生）

《南瓜（II）》 （藝術家親筆簽名含畫框）

絲網印刷及亮粉

二〇〇〇年作

畫作尺寸：38 x 45.5 公分；14.96 x 17.91 英寸

紙張尺寸：50 x 65 公分；19.68 x 25.59 英寸

畫框尺寸：65.2 x 70.7 公分；25.66 x 27.83 英寸

款識：藝術家親筆簽名 (作品底部)

版數： H.C. (此作共有60版+10版H.C. + 15版A.P.)  

 

關於作品

作為最有影響力的在世藝術家之一，草間彌生以其裝置、雕塑和繪畫而聞名。她於 1929 年出生於日本長野縣松本市，從小就開始創作和繪畫來表達她的幻覺，尤以南瓜為題，這對她後來一生中的創作非常關鍵。1958 年，草間輾轉從美國西雅圖再搬到了紐約市，在那裡跟藝術家唐納·賈德和約瑟夫·康奈爾成為了朋友。正是在這段時間裡，她創作了「無限之網」、複雜的網和重複的波點筆觸，並一直沿用在其作品之中。草間彌生通過組織和參與一系列活動和流行表演，在 1960 年代聲名鵲起。儘管她在 1970 年代初期因心理健康狀況而返回日本，但她仍繼續在療養院創作，後來在 1993 年威尼斯雙年展上重放光芒。 2021 年，草間彌生的布上壓克力作品《南瓜 (LPASG) 》 (2013) 在佳士得拍賣會上以 6250 萬港元（800 萬美元）的價格，打破了她之前的紀錄，成為她最高價的作品。

草間彌生的作品被世界各地的博物館收藏，包括紐約現代藝術博物館（MoMA）、洛杉磯郡立藝術館（LACMA）、沃克藝術中心、鳳凰美術館、泰特現代藝術館、阿姆斯特丹市立博物館、巴黎蓬皮杜藝術中心、猶他美術館和東京國立近代美術館。 2006 年 10 月，草間彌生成為首位榮獲「高松宮殿下紀念世界文化獎」的日本女性，此為日本國際知名藝術家最高榮譽獎項之一。 草間彌生童年時開始有嚴重的幻覺，令她飽受折磨，她的作品多年來亦離不開探尋「靈魂」，或者可說是她心靈上的「安身之所」。據她所述，經常在她畫作中出現的南瓜便是她的「靈魂之家」，讓她在巨大的精神苦痛與混沌中汲取一絲安慰和平靜。 《南瓜（II）》為草間彌生2000年出版的絲網及亮粉印刷限量版畫，共有60版，另加15件藝術家試版和10件H.C.。此作由巴黎Atelier Eric Seydoux印刷，日本大阪FMR公司出版。右下角有藝術家親筆簽名，而左下方包括作品標題、年份，並寫有“H.C.”字樣，作品保存完好。此作被收錄於日本東京阿部出版株式會社《草間彌生：全版圖1979-2017》。鑑於此版畫的尺寸、鮮豔的色彩、特殊亮粉處理以及是限量製作，它被視為草間彌生最有價值的版畫之一。 這幅作品跟草間彌生其他南瓜作品基本無異，均有一個碩大的南瓜靜靜地佔據畫的中間位置，但它與其他南瓜的不同之處在於它由多層亮粉印刷而成，這是2000年當時開始出現對絲網印刷一種特別新穎和特殊的處理。這些閃粉處理使它能夠在銀色的光芒中脫穎而出，甚至提亮了畫面中草間彌生的標誌性圖案，例如散佈在背景中的圓點和無限網。  

*註：譯自法文 Hors Commerce，意為非賣品，HC打印試作版為不予銷售的版本。通常為出版商保留，HC版本的版畫通常是藝術家饋贈，是所有版本中最為罕見的，也被認為是最珍貴的。