It's official: Yayoi Kusama's exhibitions racked up the highest attendance rate of any artist in the world in 2014, according to The Art Newspaper's annual survey, released yesterday. More than two million people visited the 86-year-old Japanese artist's retrospective Infinite Obsession last year as it traveled through Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia, and Mexico City. A second retrospective, A Dream I Dreamed, was traveling throughout Asia, which, combined with hit shows at the Whitney, the Centre Pompidou, and Tate Modern, put the polka-dot pioneer head and shoulders above artists including Jeff Koons, whose recent retrospective was the 10th most visited show in New York City.
The Kusama retrospectives will continue to bring her mind-boggling artworks—which you can learn more about in our "Original Creators" feature—to Taiwan, New Delhi, and Santiago, suggesting that 2015 may very well be her year, too.
Check out the rest of The Art Newspaper's annual report here.
Related:
Original Creators: "The Princess Of Polka Dots" Yayoi Kusama
Enter Takashi Murakami's World of Anime Scrolls and Otaku Demons