WHO LET THE DOGS OUT: HOW A RECLUSIVE SUPERTSAR JAPANESE ARTIST’S DOG SCULPTURES POPPED UP AT LACMA

Where in the hell have these delightful Yayoi Kusama dog sculptures been hiding? Currently on view at LACMA in Los Angeles, these artworks are part of “The Life of Animals in Japanese Art,” a thematic exhibition that shows how creatures have been depicted in Japan over 17 centuries.

Kusama is known for her often minimalist and abstract-expressionist paintings, sculptures and immersive art installations. These often use polka dots in repetitive dotted patterns that reveal a relentless kind of aesthetic obsession.

These dogs — there are three of them — are fantastic and are an example of a rare, sharp departure from the Japanese artist’s usual abstract oeuvre. The work has a more whimsical, playful and comical tone. Are there more hidden away in private collections somewhere or in the basement of a major museum? We’d love to see them!