Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) received no formal art education, yet he produced one of the most original and extraordinary bodies of work of any artist in the twentieth century. Though he never left the United States, the city of Paris lived vividly in his imagination. He wandered its streets through postcards, guidebooks, and conversations with his friend Marcel Duchamp, and dedicated dozens of artworks to its poets, palaces, and historical protagonists.
He worked in a basement studio lined with shelves of whitewashed shoeboxes and tins filled with objects gathered during his forays through Manhattan bookstores, antique shops, and neighborhood dime stores. He referred to this collection of prints, feathers, maps, marbles, toys, seashells, and other ephemera as his “spare parts department.” It provided the raw materials for intricate collages, assemblages, and shadow boxes that would influence generations of artists.
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- Pharmacy, 1943
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- Chambre Gothique “Moutarde Dijon”, 1950
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- Flemish Princess, c. 1950
It is this world that Anderson and several of his longtime collaborators, together with exhibition designer Cécile Degos, now bring to life in Paris through more than three hundred objects and curiosities from Cornell’s own collection. The House on Utopia Parkway can be viewed through the gallery’s street-facing window, transforming the space into a life-size Cornell box. Lit softly from within, it recalls the many hours Cornell spent working late into the night.
