Avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97

As well as being a sculptor and painter, Kusama put on numerous performance pieces throughout the hippy era that saw her name attached to scandal.

From works of "self-obliteration" to polka dotted nudes, the pioneering artist developed a unique body of work likely to be relevant for years to come.

Pioneering Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world, has died

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.