Exclusive | Yayoi Kusama wasnt only displayed in museums but also in other unexpected buildings across NYC

Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese art icon whose hypnotic polka dots, whimsical pumpkins and dazzling “Infinity Mirror Rooms” made her a global sensation, died Aug.14 at a Tokyo hospital.

She was 97.But nearly 6,800 miles away, Kusama’s work lives on in some unexpected corners of New York City — where seeing it doesn’t require a museum ticket, an advance reservation or hours spent waiting in line.One of the most striking examples is hiding in plain sight beneath Midtown Manhattan.At Grand Central Madison, commuters pass every day by “A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe,” Kusama’s sprawling glass mosaic commissioned for the Long Island Rail Road terminal.The permanent 2022 work sits along the Madison Concourse between East 46th and 47th streets, filling the passageway with bold colors, lines and fantastical forms.

The work expands on Kusama’s “My Eternal Soul” series, which she began in 2009.The MTA says the mosaic conveys themes of love, the universe and peace central to Kusama’s work — and that the artist hoped it would “bring joy” to people encountering it as they passed through the station.On Thursday, just hours after news of Kusama’s death broke, The Post found commuters and visitors doing just that.Sandrine Gold, a 51-year-old teacher from Port Washington, stopped and began snapping photos — without realizing she was looking at the work of one of the world’s most famous contemporary artists.“I was just walking by in the subway and noticed this amazing art on the wall,” Gold told The Post.

“I love how rich and inspiring the colors are.”Gold, who teaches Spanish and French at the Long Island School for the Gifted and also leads an after-school art class, said the work immediately gave her ideas to take back to her students.“The colors were really catching my attention and started to inspire me for my classes,” she said.Her chance encounter captures something unusual about Kusama’s presence in ...