Stedelijk to Stage Yayoi Kusama Retrospective
The Amsterdam museum's exhibition, co-organized with Fondation Beyeler and Museum Ludwig, spans more than seven decades of the artist's work.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Fine Art
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam will present a retrospective of Yayoi Kusama from September 11, 2026, to January 17, 2027. The exhibition covers painting, sculpture, installations, drawing, fashion, collage, and happenings, including historic works never before shown in Europe and new works created for the occasion.
Why it matters
The retrospective follows the exhibition's earlier presentations at Fondation Beyeler in Basel and Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and it traces Kusama's path from early work in Matsumoto, Japan, to later work in New York and Tokyo. It gives an international audience a consolidated view of an artist whose themes include infinity, self-obliteration, and repetition.
The Amsterdam run lasts from September 11, 2026, to January 17, 2027, following earlier presentations in Basel and Cologne. The number of works in the exhibition has not been announced.
The players
Yayoi Kusama
Japanese artist born in 1929 and known for infinity rooms, polka-dot motifs, and self-obliteration themes, who died in 2026.
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Amsterdam museum of modern and contemporary art that is hosting the retrospective.
Fondation Beyeler
Art museum in Basel, Switzerland, that co-organized the exhibition and presented it earlier.
Museum Ludwig
Art museum in Cologne, Germany, that co-organized the exhibition and presented it earlier.
The details
The exhibition is curated by Leontine Coelewij and includes a specially created new version of Kusama's iconic installations. It is organized in collaboration with Fondation Beyeler in Basel and Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
Timeline
October 12, 2025 - January 25, 2026: Fondation Beyeler presentation in Basel.
March 14, 2026 - August 2, 2026: Museum Ludwig presentation in Cologne.
September 11, 2026 - January 17, 2027: Stedelijk Museum presentation in Amsterdam.
Market Landscape
The Amsterdam presentation extends a tour that began in Basel and continued in Cologne, following the co-organized model that European museums use for large monographic shows. It adds to a growing pattern of major historic women artists receiving multi-venue retrospectives across the continent.
Visitors planning to see the retrospective in Amsterdam will have a window from September 11, 2026, to January 17, 2027. The extraction does not confirm ticket prices or booking requirements.
The takeaway
Major retrospectives often tour between institutions, so readers interested in a specific exhibition can track its run across cities. The Amsterdam leg is the final stop listed in the extraction.
What happens next
The exhibition opens at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam on September 11, 2026, and runs through January 17, 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Fine Art for context on how major museums stage monographic retrospectives.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Artdaily.
