Yayoi Kusama, 97, Brought Culture to Grand Central Madison Through Major Iconic Artwork

Photo by Kerry McFate/Ota Fine Arts

MTA Unveiled One of Internationally Recognized Artist’s Final Public Works at 2023 Opening of Grand Central Madison

View Photos of Artwork

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today celebrates the life and legacy of the internationally recognized artist Yayoi Kusama, who died on August 14, 2026, in Japan at the age of 97, three years after the MTA unveiled one of her final public artworks at the opening of Grand Central Madison.

The artwork, A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe, is a permanent glass mosaic located on the Madison Concourse of Grand Central, between 46th and 47th streets. The vibrant, 120-foot public art installation was commissioned by the MTA Arts & Design and the Long Island Railroad and was unveiled to the public in early 2023 with the opening of Grand Central Madison. The permanent artwork, fabricated by Miotto Mosaics Art Studios, measures 120’ W x 7’ H, totaling approximately 875 square feet of glass mosaic.

Expanding on Kusama’s iconic My Eternal Soul series, the piece is an exploration of lines, forms and bold colors. At once abstract and figurative, the mosaic features a variety of motifs that invite visitors and commuters to discover its details as they move through the space. The messages of LOVE, UNIVERSE, PEACE and OWE TO ALL MANKIND are conveyed throughout the work and reflect themes central to Kusama’s artistic vision.

Kusama began the My Eternal Soul series in 2009. The paintings in this collection feature the significant qualities of her Infinity Net pieces and emphasize the obsessive, recurring geometries that defined her decades-long career. A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe carries those themes into a continues expanse designed specifically for the Madison Concourse.

Kusama described the artwork as a gift to New York City, and included an accompanying poem in which she expressed her hope that the public display of this artwork will bring love, beauty and anyone that will experience her artwork high and low, near and far and everywhere:

This is Yayoi Kusama. 
I offer you a message of love, directly from my heart unto the universe. 
May you all experience the true beauty of loving humanity. 
Human life is beautiful. 
My wish is to deliver this vision, with all that is my life, to the people of New York.

Kusama devoted her life to artistic creations and endeavors, developing a distinct style and visual language centered on repetition, the concept of infinity, polka dots and bold colors. Born in Matsumoto City, Japan, Kusama first moved to the United States in 1957 and established herself in New York’s artistic community at a time when Abstract Expressionism was at the center of the art scene. During this time, she created paintings, sculptures, performances and installations that explored themes of infinity, self-obliteration and the universe. Her work transcended artistic languages including visual art, film, fashion, design, literature and immersive installations.

Her work has been presented extensively at major museums and institutions across the world. Kusama represented Japan at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, and lived and worked in Tokyo, where the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in October 2017. Over the past decade there have been museum exhibitions of Kusama’s work touring the world in North and South America, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China, Australia, Russia, Mexico, Spain, England, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, Canada, Taiwan, Indonesia, Germany, and Israel. In 2016, Kusama received the Order of Culture, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Imperial Family in Japan. Kusama was the first woman to be honored with the prestigious medal for drawings and sculptures.

Kusama continued creating art throughout her life, painting until her final days. Her work remains among the most recognizable and influential in contemporary art.

Grand Central Madison was the largest passenger rail terminal to be built in the country in 67 years when it opened in 2023, and was one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in the United States in recent years. The terminal contains two-level caverns that support four platforms and eight tracks.

ABOUT MTA ARTS & DESIGN 
Since 1985, MTA Arts & Design has delivered innovative arts programming throughout New York’s transit system. Over four decades, Arts & Design has built a collection of award-winning art that reflects the diversity of the New York City region and makes travel a more engaging experience for millions of riders every day. The program has commissioned more than 400 permanent artworks and activated subway and railroad stations, train cars, and bus depots with MTA Music performances, Poetry in Motion, posters, photography, digital art, and special events.