Joseph Cornell 1903 –1972

By Leila Allan

Joseph Cornell, Andromeda: Grand Hôtel de l’Observatoire, 1954, Box construction with glass, painted and paper covered wood, metal rod and chain, and cut and pasted photographs, 18 5/16 x 12 15/16 x 3 7/8 inches, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

The contrast between a life defined by seclusion and an oeuvre expressing the unbounded parameters of imagination characterises Joseph Cornell. Born on the 24th of December 1903, in Nyack, New York, Cornell has often been understood as a reclusive eccentric. Largely detached from the art world, Cornell engaged with different media throughout his career, experimenting with assemblage, collage, and film making.

Cornell’s life was impacted by familial struggles which demanded his attention. Perhaps most significant was his father’s death from Leukaemia in 1917, and his younger brother’s struggle with Cerebral Palsy. After his father’s death, Cornell was enrolled at Phillip’s Academy in Andover, and after his graduation relocated to Queens, largely as a result of the debt inherited from his deceased father.

Cornell did not have any formal training, though his encounter Max Ernst’s La Femme 100 Têtes opened his eyes to the variation of artistic expression beyond painting. Furthermore, it was in the Julien Levey Gallery that Cornell first came into contact with the Surrealism of Ernst and Dali that provided him with inspiration through his career. However, the artist was reluctant to assume any form of categorisation. It was this very gallery that would give Cornell his first solo exhibition in 1932. When looking at Cornell’s art, one can infer the ways in which the streets, museums, and bookstores of his native New York stimulated the artist.

Cornell produced most of his work at home alongside his familial responsibilities of caring for both his mother and brother, and his creations became somewhat of a solace to escape his mundane life to explore his inner most desires.

While Cornell remained in New York his entire life, his work was clearly inspired by foreign influences, specifically European culture. The shadow box is an essential dimension in Cornell’s oeuvre; these ‘glass-fronted constructions’ containing a multitude of objects witness a convergence of Cornell’s collecting practices and wide-ranging interests. Indeed, Andromeda: Grand Hôtel de l’Observatoire (1954) expresses Cornell’s diverse interests concerning travel, European culture, and astronomy. The format of the shadow box enabled Cornell to express the extensive realm of his imagination.

After the deaths of his brother and mother in 1965 and 1966 respectively, Cornell entered a deep dejection, and his exploration of shadow boxes ceased while he turned more towards collage. As the interest in the artist steadily increased, he retracted ever more. Cornell died at home in Queens on the 29th of December 1972, leaving behind an oeuvre expressing his sorrows, desires, and fantasies.

Bibliography

Blumberg, Naomi. “Joseph Cornell: American sculptor and filmmaker.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Cornell-American-sculptor.

“Joseph Cornell.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/joseph-cornell.

“Joseph Cornell: Andromeda: Grand Hôtel de l’Observatoire.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation.

https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/904.

“Joseph Cornell: Outside the box.” Christie’s. https://www.christies.com/features/Joseph-Cornell-Outside-the-box-9440-3.aspx.

“Joseph Cornell: Wanderlust.” Royal Academy of Arts. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/joseph-cornell.

Laing, Olivia. “Joseph Cornell: how the reclusive artist conquered the art world – from his mum’s basement.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jul/25/joseph-cornell-wanderlust-royal-academy-exhibition-london