Joseph Cornell, an artist who continued to create his own works influenced by Surrealism, was famous for not selling his works. There were many collectors who wanted Cornell's works, and many galleries visited Cornell in search of his works, but they were unable to give them to him. Cornell worked in textile sales during the day, and created his works late at night in his basement studio. Cornell was financially independent without selling his works, and did not want to give his beloved works to others, so he lived with his mother and disabled brother.

In 1962, Kusama was taken to see Cornell by a gallery owner who was hoping to acquire Cornell's work. Cornell fell in love with Kusama at first sight, dressed in a kimono, and the two began to date. Cornell was lonely and shy, but at the same time, he was a romantic and showered an abnormal amount of love on Kusama. He would call her for hours a day and send her so many letters every day that Kusama's mailbox would quickly fill up.
Although Kusama is sometimes confused by Cornell, she has a deep respect for him as a true artist, and the two men become deeply connected in spirit.

The episode with Cornell is detailed in Kusama's later novel, Lost in the Swamp (1992). Because it is in the form of a novel, the names of the two main characters are different, but it is clearly a detailed account of what happened between Kusama and Cornell at the time, making for an interesting story.

When Cornell passed away in 1972, Kusama, who was so sad that she became mentally unstable, returned to Japan the following year. Many of Kusama's works at that time were collages, and her materials were magazine clippings given to her by Cornell.