TOKYO – Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who transformed hallucinations into art and was known for her obsessive dot-covered paintings and pumpkin motifs, has died at the age of 97. The announcement made on her official website said she died on August 14 but did not give a cause of death. Frustrated with the confining nature of Japanese society, Kusama left for New York at 27, where she quickly made a name for herself with her paintings, inspired by hallucinations of flashing lights, dots and flowers she had seen since childhood. She also wrote, took part in anti-war activities during the 1960s, and reportedly influenced artists…
