Kusama: The Collection of the late Dr Teruo Hirose
Eleven works by Yayoi Kusama from 1952-1965
The rarest group of early works by Yayoi Kusama to ever come to market, the Collection of Dr Hirose includes exceptional examples from Kusama’s earliest and most influential decades.
Hudson River and Mississippi River, both from 1960, are early and extraordinary examples of Kusama’s Infinity Nets for which she would become so well known. Untitled, from the mid-1960s, foreshadows much of her later practice and shows the exploration of bright, bold colors, that now characterize much of her work. The works on paper, the majority of which were brought from Japan in Kusama’s suitcase, capture the very earliest depictions of polka dots, nets and flowers which would define her career.
THE ARTIST AND THE DOCTOR
Dr Teruo Hirose was a Japanese cardiothoracic surgeon who worked in New York City from 1959 until his passing in 2019. It is believed that there were two Japanese speaking doctors in the five boroughs at the time. Working as a heart surgeon by day, Dr Hirose would then host visiting hours at his in-house office in the evening to offer care to a then underserved community. Word began to spread that he would offer medical assistance to artists in exchange for works of art. It was through these means, that he would be introduced to Yayoi Kusama.
Kusama arrived in New York only a year before the Hirose family. The stress of these circumstances, combined with the existing mental and physical challenges she had since childhood, meant that she turned to Dr Hirose often. Not only did Dr Hirose care for her physical well-being but Dr Hirose’s wife, Shigeko, proved a friend and confidant of Kusama. Kusama’s gifts of Hudson River, Mississippi River, Untitled and the various early works on paper which she brought from Japan for such circumstances, demonstrate both the regular nature of her care, as well as the deep bond between her and the Hirose family.
Though on the surface Dr Hirose, a serious cardiovascular doctor, and Yayoi Kusama, a bohemian in every sense of the word, did not seem like natural friends, the two had a deep, decades-long friendship that identified much common ground between them. The family remained loyal to the artist over decades, attending her exhibitions and staying in touch. The artworks presented here held pride of place in their home for over fifty years and have never been displayed publicly.
Viewings by appointment
580 Madison Avenue
New York, NY
30 April – 12 May
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Bonhams thanks Lee Broom for the usage of his apartment, furniture, and lighting in the TriBeCa apartment. For more information on Lee Broom, visit www.leebroom.com.
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