Yayoi Kusama Exhibition Is the Most Visited in Australia's History

Installation view of “LOVE IS CALLING,” 2013 (Photo: Sean Fennessy)

Yayoi Kusama has a habit of setting records. In 2024, Kusama clocked $58.8 million in auction sales—the highest total by a contemporary artist for the second year in a row. Last December, the Melbourne-based National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) staged Australia’s largest retrospective exhibition of the renowned Japanese artist, encompassing more than 200 artworks across nine decades of creative output. By the time it closed in April 2025, Yayoi Kusama became the most popular exhibition in Australian history.

All told, NGV reported that 570,537 tickets were purchased to attend the show, breaking the museum’s previous record of 462,262 tickets sold for the 2017 exhibition Van Gogh and the Seasons. Not included in NGV’s calculations were the country’s well-attended archaeological exhibitions, including the Melbourne Museum’s Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which drew in nearly 797,000 visitors. Among this impressive tally were such beloved luminaries as Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan, and Finneas.

This milestone alone proves that contemporary artists are beginning to surpass some of art history’s heaviest hitters (in this case, Van Gogh). It also reveals the cultural capital and visibility that Kusama has amassed as one of the world’s most renowned artists, garnering attention from children, adults, seasoned critics, and casual museum-goers alike. That popularity can be credited in large part to Kusama’s aesthetic, which combines a playful simplicity with vibrant explosions of color. Her signature polka dots, pumpkins, and “infinity rooms” in particular have catapulted her to international and pop cultural recognition.

“I have observed and overheard a lot of people say they are not usually gallery visitors, but they came because of the interest it was inspiring in people they knew,” Wayne Crothers, NGV’s senior curator of Asian art, told The Guardian.

This also extended to kids, teens, and young adults. The universality of Kusama’s visuals attracted both families and younger generations, whether it be due to how irresistible, reputable, trendy, or “selfie-friendly” her visuals are. Most notably, for Crothers, was how younger visitors would often bring friends and, at times, even return to the exhibition with their parents in tow.

“Traditionally it has worked the other way—the older generations often bring in the young people who are less likely to regularly go to galleries,” Crothers explains. “We’ve seen the opposite here. Then the people who found it emotional and special have come back for second visits. Some people thought, ‘Oh, the grandkids will love this,’ and came back with them.”

Even for the pickiest of visitors, Yayoi Kusama was expansive enough to maintain its broad appeal. Not only did the exhibition feature Kusama’s claims to fame (think, 10 infinity rooms), but some more unexpected items, like drawings created by the artist at only 9 years old. It also showcased just how multidisciplinary Kusama’s practice is, encompassing painting, collage, fashion, video, and monumental installations.

“When the first impressionist show opened in 1870, art buffs were snobbish about it being commercial and for the common masses,” Crothers explains. “If people say, ‘I think it’s just crass populism’—why shouldn’t art be enjoyed by the general masses?”

Yayoi Kusama was on view at NGV from December 15, 2024, to April 21, 2025. For an inside look after the fact, read our own review of the exhibition.

Yayoi Kusama’s recent retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria has become the most visited exhibition in Australian history.

Photo: Danielle Castano

Yayoi Kusama’s “Dancing Pumpkin,” 2020. Purchased by NGV with funds donated by Loti & Victor Smorgon Fund, 2024 (Photo: Sean Fennessy)

Photo: Danielle Castano

During its four-month run, the exhibition attracted more than 570,000 total visitors, thanks in large part to Kusama’s star-studded reputation and universal appeal.