Translation of the article:

Yayoi Kusama, the world-renowned avant-garde artist and recipient of the Order of Culture known for her colorful polka dots, net patterns, and pumpkin sculptures, died of multi-organ failure at a hospital in Tokyo on the 14th. She was 97. A native of Nagano Prefecture, her funeral was held by close relatives. A memorial service is planned for a later date.

She moved to the United States in 1957 and was based primarily in New York until her return to Japan in 1973. She gained attention for her street performances protesting the Vietnam War, such as painting polka dots on naked men and women, earning her the nickname "The Queen of Happenings."

Her trademark countless polka dots and nets originated from hallucinations she had suffered from since childhood. She began drawing them as a way to escape her fear and anxiety. In addition to paintings and prints, she produced a wide variety of works, including "soft sculptures" made of stuffed fabric and the "Pumpkin" sculpture installed on Naoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture.

Her international and domestic reputation soared from the 1990s onward; she represented Japan at the 1993 Venice Biennale and had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 1998. Between 2011 and 2012, major museums across Europe and the United States held large-scale retrospectives of her work.