Yayoi Kusama rare 'Flames' art auctions for collectors online in Japan

Flames by Yayoi Kusama, the 'most valuable living female artist,' is auctioning via internet from Japan

Yayoi Kusama has described herself as an "obsessive artist." And if you're an art collector with an obsession for Kusama's rare works, you now have a chance to indulge you passion...

One of Kusama's art pieces, entitled Flames, is up for sale with a 3,500,000 - 4,500,000 JPY ($45,495 - 58,494) pre-sale estimate online.

The auction is based in Japan, but internet bidding is also available - an opportunity which will no doubt be seized by collectors in the West.

Flames, an acrylic on canvas, dates to 1990. As with Kusama's other paintings, collages, sculptures and even performance art, the work demonstrates her obsession with repetition and patterns.

In fact, Kusama is something of a renaissance woman. The Japanese artist is also a published novelist and poet, and has worked in film and fashion design.

That's not all: she also has top auction pedigree. One of Kusama's art pieces sold for $5.1m, a record for a living female artist, at Christie's New York in November, 2008.

Yayoi Kusama's Flames, dated 1990, is representative of her other artworks

Given her past success on the auction block, we wouldn't be surprised if Kusama's Flames exceeds its $58,494 upper estimate when the hammer falls this Friday, January 27.

Could Yayoi Kusama's previous $5.1m auction success be a sign that Japan's artists are following in the footsteps of nearby China's rare art markets?

As we recently reported, values of traditional Chinese art grew by 20.6% in 2011. That's according to the well-respected Mei Moses index. It is the sixth time in the past 10 years that the global index has outperformed the S&P 500.

China's Zhang Daqian and Qi Baishi were first and second in terms of global sale values in 2011.

The above proves there could be no better time than the present for you to begin your own art collection - take a look at some of the rare art pieces we have for sale here at Paul Fraser Collectibles.

Watch this space for all the latest news from Asia's art markets.

Recent and related articles

  Zao Wou-ki World Record price set at Sotheby's Hong Kong Chinese art auction | 4 October 2011

  Bonhams expands China and Japan art expertise to meet Asia's boom | 20 September 2011

  Political masterpiece leads Sotheby's $4.2m Southeast Asia art event | 5 September 2011

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