SFMoMA Museum of Modern Art

Joseph Cornell

06 Oct 2007 - 06 Jan 2008

Joseph Cornell
Untitled (Cockatoo with Watch Faces), ca. 1949
Box construction with inoperable music box
The Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection
© The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York
Photo: Michael Tropea
Joseph Cornell
Navigating the Imagination
October 06, 2007 - January 06, 2008

A self-taught artist, Joseph Cornell relied almost exclusively on found materials. He collected items from books, newspapers, second-hand stores, exploratory walks — even sweepings from his studio floor — to create intricate, elaborate box constructions and collages. These enchanting works of art transformed commonplace objects into extraordinary and magical dreamscapes, earning him immediate and enduring respect. This exhibition brings together nearly 200 works dating from the 1930s until the artist’s death in 1972, offering the first comprehensive retrospective of his work in a quarter century at its only West Coast venue.
 

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