The Hakone Open-Air Museum Acquires Yayoi Kusama's "I Am a Pumpkin" (2013) as New Collection, Opening April 19

The Hakone Open-Air Museum (located in Hakone-machi, Kanagawa Prefecture / operated by the Hakone Open-Air Museum Art and Culture Foundation) will display its newly acquired work, Yayoi Kusama's "I Am a Pumpkin" (2013), in a corner of the outdoor exhibition grounds, including landscaping.

This work was exhibited at the "Marunouchi Street Gallery" (Tokyo's Marunouchi district / organized by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., supervised by the Hakone Open-Air Museum Art and Culture Foundation) until 2025. Currently, the Hakone Open-Air Museum is the only place in Japan where Kusama's stone sculptures can be viewed. This is also the first Kusama work in the museum's collection.

For this acquisition, the exhibition area adjacent to the café will be renovated with vibrant mosaic tiles to create a space that highlights the artwork. Related events will include an installation of Kusama's works at the Marutahiroba Kitoki square, the screening of an interview video with Kusama, and the sale of merchandise at the shop corner.

Following the "Forest Footbath" in 2024, this is another renewal of the outdoor area, adding a new landscape to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. By moving the exhibition from the urban space of Tokyo's Marunouchi to an environment surrounded by seasonal nature, the work will take on a new expression, enriching the viewing experience.

Since presenting "Soft Sculpture" made of cloth and other materials in New York in 1962, Kusama has continued to express herself through a variety of materials, but this is her first work made of stone. This stone pumpkin, which can be considered Kusama's alter ego, will continue to convey the message of "Love is Eternal" for all eternity.

In part of an interview conducted in Marunouchi in 2013, she said, "We shout that love is eternal, and we spiritually eliminate poverty, hardship, and the intensity of struggle, and then climb the stairs to heaven, and there, in an unchanging, gentle, quiet world, we want to sleep slowly and look back on our lives. That is my message to everyone."

[Work Overview] Artist: Yayoi Kusama (Japanese) / Yayoi Kusama (English) Title: I Am a Pumpkin (Japanese) / I Am a Pumpkin (English) Year created: 2013 Material: Granite (Japanese) / Granite (English)

[Area Overview] Opening date and time: April 19, 2026 (Sunday) Pedestal and mosaic tiles: Yayoi Kusama Landscape design: Torafu Architects Planting design: Sa Tree

[Related Events] ・Installation Exhibition Period: April 19 (Sunday) - November 1 (Sunday) Venue: Marutahiroba Kitoki, The Hakone Open-Air Museum Café ・Interview video with the artist from the time of the work's completion in 2013 ・Sale of merchandise

[Yayoi Kusama Profile] Avant-garde artist, novelist, poet. Born in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture in 1929. From an early age, she created works featuring polka dots and nets. She moved to the United States in 1957 and was based in New York. She established an international reputation with her net paintings, soft sculptures, and innovative installations using mirrors and electric lights. She also developed a wide range of expressive activities in Europe and the United States, including body painting, happenings, fashion shows, and filmmaking. After returning to Japan in 1973, she was based in Tokyo and engaged in literary activities such as writing poetry and novels in addition to art production. She widely disseminates her artistic philosophy through outdoor sculptures, corporate collaborations, and documentary film production. She continues to create energetically to this day. She has held retrospective exhibitions at major museums in Japan and abroad, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate Modern. As of 2026, a large-scale solo exhibition "Yayoi Kusama" is touring three European countries. In 2017, the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. She consistently continues her overwhelming creative activities with themes of "nature," "love," "life and death," and infinity.

[About The Hakone Open-Air Museum] Hakone offers magnificent nature in all four seasons. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, which opened in 1969, is Japan's first outdoor museum, making use of this nature. Approximately 120 masterpieces by leading modern and contemporary sculptors are permanently displayed in the lush green outdoor exhibition grounds. There are also indoor exhibition halls, including the Picasso Pavilion, works that children can experience, and a natural hot spring footbath, allowing visitors to enjoy a rich and relaxing time. The Hakone Open-Air Museum Management: Hakone Open-Air Museum Art and Culture Foundation Address: 1121 Ninotaira, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0493 Opening hours: Open year-round, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last entry at 4:30 PM) Access: Please see the official website for details. Train: 2-minute walk from "Chokoku-no-Mori" Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway Car: Approximately 25 minutes from Hakone-guchi IC on the Seisho Bypass via Odawara-Atsugi Road from Atsugi IC on the Tomei Expressway, or approximately 5 minutes from Gotemba IC on the Tomei Expressway Admission: Adults 2,000 yen, University/High school students 1,600 yen, Junior high/Elementary school students 800 yen, Preschool children free *Web ticket discounts, group discounts, and disability discounts available. *Students must present their student ID. Official website: https://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/ Inquiries: 0460-82-1161

Current Collection Exhibitions ■Exhibition Name: Unique Collection Period: From January 31, 2026 (Saturday) Venue: Main Building Gallery Number of exhibited works: 27 works from the collection (25 artists) ■Exhibition Name: Masterpiece Collection Period: From December 6, 2024 (Friday) Venue: Art Hall Number of exhibited works: 25 works from the collection (18 artists)