Undertstanding ８８歳の草間彌生さんは水玉の絵などが有名な芸術家で


> ８８歳の草間彌生さんは水玉の絵などが有名な **芸術家** で、世界でも人気があります。  
>  88 year old 草間彌生さん ??? and is popular even in (the rest of) the world.

I'm having problems parsing the first clause.

> 草間彌生さんは有名な芸術家で  
>  草間彌生 is a famous artist -- (makes sense)  
>  水玉の絵などが有名な芸術家で  
>  things like the water drop picture are famous artists -- (does not make
> sense)

It sounds to me like it's saying that the picture is an artist. If 芸術家 was
replaced by a word for art work (maybe 芸術品?) rather than artist then I'd be
happy. As it stands I can't make any sense out of it.




[～ **で** 有名だ is "to be famous _for_
～"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/42342/how-to-get-the-right-
meaning-of-particles/42345#42345). You can always say 水玉の絵などで有名な芸術家.

> 草間彌生さんは水玉の絵など **で** 有名な芸術家で、世界でも人気があります。

However, this sentence:

> 草間彌生さんは水玉の絵など **が** 有名な芸術家で、世界でも人気があります。

...also makes perfect sense, and has almost the same meaning. In this case,
水玉の絵などが有名な modifies 芸術家 as a relative clause. Its "base" sentence would be
この芸術家は水玉の絵が有名だ, which is an example of so-called "double subject" sentences
like ゾウは鼻が長い.

In other words, 水玉の絵などが有名な芸術家 is structurally similar to 鼻が長いゾウ, ニンジンが好きなウサギ,
心が美しい人, etc.

**EDIT:** Strictly speaking, 水玉の絵が有名な芸術家 is an artist whose art is famous; the
artist himself doesn't necessarily have to be famous. For example, you can say
「彼は花の絵が有名な画家だが、彼自身の名前はあまり知られていない」.




[～ **で** 有名だ is "to be famous _for_
～"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/42342/how-to-get-the-right-
meaning-of-particles/42345#42345). You can always say 水玉の絵などで有名な芸術家.

> 草間彌生さんは水玉の絵など **で** 有名な芸術家で、世界でも人気があります。

However, this sentence:

> 草間彌生さんは水玉の絵など **が** 有名な芸術家で、世界でも人気があります。

...also makes perfect sense, and has almost the same meaning. In this case,
水玉の絵などが有名な modifies 芸術家 as a relative clause. Its "base" sentence would be
この芸術家は水玉の絵が有名だ, which is an example of so-called "double subject" sentences
like ゾウは鼻が長い.

In other words, 水玉の絵などが有名な芸術家 is structurally similar to 鼻が長いゾウ, ニンジンが好きなウサギ,
心が美しい人, etc.

**EDIT:** Strictly speaking, 水玉の絵が有名な芸術家 is an artist whose art is famous; the
artist himself doesn't necessarily have to be famous. For example, you can say
「彼は花の絵が有名な画家だが、彼自身の名前はあまり知られていない」.

