Soon to be up for sale, rare early artworks, that have never been exhibited to the public before, by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama might fetch over 10 millions.
The works will be offered in a special single-owner collection sale at Bonhams New York in May called Kusama: The Collection of the late Dr Teruo Hirose, which will include three paintings and eight works on paper.
Dr Teruo Hirose was Kusama’s lifelong doctor and friend. who came to America and made a name for himself by providing low-cost or pro bono medical care to Japanese immigrants. Kusama was one of them. She used her art as currency to pay for her medical treatments.
The collection features her signature Infinity Nets motif, and according to Bonhams, utilizes a color palette not usually seen in Kusama’s later work.
“These early works are exceptionally rare due to Kusama’s use of the color red — almost all her other works of this period are white. The third painting in the collection, Untitled, is a very early example of Kusama combining vibrant colors and the scale of the work lends an immersive quality, something that foreshadows the artist’s later work such as her Infinity Rooms.”
The total collection is estimated to be worth up to $14 million.