Yayoi Kusama Is Only Artist Named in ‘TIME’s 100 Most Influential People

It's a good year to be Yayoi Kusama.

Yayoi Kusama. Photo: courtesy the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Time 100 cover (2016).Image: Courtesy of Time.com.

Time 100 cover (2016).
Image: Courtesy of Time.com.

Roundups of movers and shakers are ubiquitous, but the one that makes the biggest waves every year is the TIME 100 list. The publication released their 2016 edition of the world’s most influential people on Thursday, and a number of art world names have been included.

Yayoi Kusama.<br>Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images.

Yayoi Kusama.
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images.

Within the “Artists” category, Yayoi Kusama stands alone as the sole visual artist on the list. Chris Ofili, a Turner Prize-winning artist, was named last year. (Marina Abramovic had her turn in 2014 and Ed Ruscha the year before.)

Eli Broad.<br>Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images.

Eli Broad.
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images.

However, it’s interesting to note that the art world’s reach is expanding—or, perhaps, the other way around. Enterprising figures like Kanye West, for instance, who’s been known to repeatedly flirt with the art world, was named a ‘Titan” in 2015.

Similarly, Eli Broad, founder of his eponymous Broad Museum in Los Angeles, was recognized as a TIME “Titan” this year.

Leonardo DiCaprio.<br>Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images.

Leonardo DiCaprio.
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who has developed a reputation as an art world fixture in recent years, was identified by the magazine as an icon.

Of course, others within the greater arts universe at-large were also named. Bjarke Ingles, for instance, who represents the world of architecture in Time’s list, was characterized by Rem Koolhaas as “the first major architect who disconnected the profession completely from angst.”

In the realm of fashion, designers Riccardo Tisci and Guo Pei were the lucky two included in the mix. Tisci is the Italian designer responsible for taking the Givenchy brand to new heights since joining the house in 2005. Pei, on the other hand, paved an illustrious career designing high-end couture for Chinese celebrities.


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