Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid (1839), the timeless story of a sea-dwelling girl who follows her dreams and meets a tragic fate on land, is recognised the world over—particularly through its animated adaptations.
This familiar tale is brought to life anew in this stunning edition, a collaboration between the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and renowned artist Yayoi Kusama. Accompanying Andersen’s original text, Kusama’s intricate, undulating line drawings from her Love Forever series (2004–7) conjure up the turbulent storms of the ocean, the Little Mermaid’s vast underwater world, and her deep yearning for life among humans. Kusama’s fertile, endlessly repeating forms are a perfect match for the poetic and haunting atmosphere of Andersen’s story.
The result is a true collaboration, where Kusama’s drawings not only illustrate but also reinterpret the tale, vividly bringing its terror and beauty to life. Andersen’s words, in turn, provide narrative grounding for Kusama’s hypnotic landscapes of unblinking eyes, curling tendrils, and disembodied profiles.
Yayoi Kusama (born 1929) left Japan at the age of 28, arriving in late-1950s New York. Her career, now spanning over 50 years, includes painting, performance, installations, sculpture, film, fashion, design, and literature. She was named the world’s most popular artist based on 2014 museum attendance figures reported by The Art Newspaper.
