For the first time, the Cincinnati Art Museum will display one of Yayoi Kusama’s famous Infinity Mirror Rooms.
The legendary Japanese figure is often hailed as the world’s most successful living artist, and her sculptures and art installations are renowned all over the globe. This summer at the Cincinnati Art Museum, her 2016 installation “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins” will be available for guests to view.
The installation features yellow gourds of various sizes adorned with black polka dots that are completely surrounded by mirrors. The result is an immersive installation that allows the visitor to become part of the artwork as they enter an infinite field of glowing pumpkins.
The installation illustrates Kusama’s characteristic themes, including infinity and obsessive repetition. The artist has described the pumpkin—one of her quintessential symbols—as a form of self-portraiture. In addition to the installation, a rare assemblage of a dozen of her Pumpkin acrylic paintings on canvas made between 1990–2004 will also greet gallery visitors.
“Emotional and neuroaesthetic wellbeing are ever present in Yayoi Kusama’s art,” said Cameron Kitchin, director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. “Cincinnati Art Museum is proud to bring her most essential immersive environment to our region, in partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art. Connecting communities and inspiring people at the art museum is exemplified by the unique mind and experience of Yayoi Kusama.”
Kusama’s career spans more than seven decades, and her Infinity Mirror Rooms are some of her most experimental and iconic works. “Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field” (1965) was her first installation to use mirrors to create a sense of endless space, featuring a floor covered in hundreds of red-spotted, white fabric-stuffed tubes. In each Mirror Room, the visitor’s reflection seems to extend into infinity as they have an intimate and individualized experience.
The installation will be open from July 17–October 18, 2026, in the museum’s Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Gallery and the Manuel and Rhoda Mayerson Gallery, located across from the Terrace Cafe.
Tickets are $17, will go on sale this June, and must be reserved online in advance. All tickets will be timed, and only two visitors may enter the installation at one time. Photography is allowed (no flash) with cell phones and small cameras on lanyards only. Large cameras, tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are not permitted.
For more information, visit the Cincinnati Art Museum’s official website.