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Joseph Cornell

Ranked #10,726 in Arts & Design, #197,713 overall

Joseph Cornell - Surrealist Artist

Joseph Cornell was an American artist, experimental film maker and sculptor, who was most famous for his exquisite boxes. These were boxed assemblages that he created from 'found' objects, such as pages from old books and dime store trinkets.

Joseph was born to a middle class family in New York, and had two sisters and a disabled brother. When his father died in 1917 the family struggled financially and had to move into rented accomodation. He devoted his life to caring for his mother and his brother Robert.

Cornell had no formal art training. He was wary of strangers and quite reclusive and poured his energy into his art. He had many crushes on unobtainable women, such as ballerinas and Lauren Bacall, but was so chronically shy that a real relationship with a woman was impossible.

"Life can have significance even if it appears to be a series of failures."
Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell Biography

The Life Of Joseph Cornell

Joseph CornellBorn: December 24th, 1903, Nyack, New York
Parents: Helen TenBroeck and Storms Cornell
Siblings: Elizabeth, Helen and Robert
1911: Joseph's father develops leukemia
1917: Joseph's father dies, leaving the family with vast debts
1921: Joseph works in a textile mill
1925: Joseph has a major stomach illness that he is later cured of. He joins a Christian Science church in New York
1931: Joseph gets a job selling refridgerators. Shows his collages to Julian Levy
1932: Cornell has his first one man show at the Julian Levy Gallery
1936: Makes his first film - Rose Hobart
1938: Major exhibition at the MoMa, New York
1943: During the war, Cornell works in a defense plant
1961: Art of Assemblage Exhibition at the MoMa includes Joseph's works
1964: Joyce Hunter steals one of Cornell's boxes. He does not prosecute
1965: Cornell's disabled brother Robert dies
1966: Cornell's mother dies and he plunges into a deep depression
1972: Cornell dies of heart failure on December 29th

dreams ever different
dreams ever varied
endless voyages
endless realms
ever strange
ever wonderful

Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell - Shadowplay

Book and DVD

A magical book and DVD that let's you explore the work of Joseph Cornell in exceptional detail.
Joseph Cornell: Shadowplay...Eterniday

Joseph Cornell: Shadowplay...Eterniday

by: Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Walter Hopps, Richard Vine, Robert Lehrman

Amazon Price: $98.97 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

"This is a remarkable book, but even more alluring is the secret tucked into the back cover. A DVD. I keep this DVD by my computer and use it for an entertainment break. Not only is it full of pictures of the most beautiful Cornell boxes, the DVD production values are extremely visual and entertaining. The viewer can look closely at some of the loveliest boxes Cornell ever made, but it is done with a presentation that takes you into his world."

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Roses Des Vents 

Joseph Cornell - Master Of Dreams

Waldman, an art historian, author, knew Cornell and was the first to study his unique art. Now, nearly four decades later, she brings a wealth of long-brewing insights to this gorgeous volume, which boasts not only her lucid and expert commentary on Cornell's intriguing influences but also some of the finest color reproductions of his amazing work ever published.
Joseph Cornell: Master of Dreams

Joseph Cornell: Master of Dreams

by: Diane Waldman

Amazon Price: $16.17 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

"I have read just about every book of merit on Joseph Cornell, the artist considered to be the father of modern assemblage. This book outshines all others in its brilliant spectrum of biography, photography and insight into the artist and his work. The full-color images are crisp and stunning and allow the reader to really study the details of Cornell's construction and craftsmanship."

Moma collection

Taglioni's Jewel Casket 

"Beauty should be shared for it enhances our joys. To explore its mystery is to venture towards the sublime."
Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell - Navigating The Imagination

Joseph Cornell Boxes In Detail

This thick book comments and catalogs the work of the wonderful Joseph Cornell, providing details of his life and showing in detail his many works of art.
Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination

Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination

by: Lynda Roscoe Hartigan

Amazon Price: $255.00 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

"I ordered this book for my husband's birthday and he was estatic. By far it is the best book we own. The many visuals are breathtaking. The text takes you into a wonderful journey. Highly recommended."

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Joseph Cornell - Cocatoo and Corks 

The Joseph Cornell Box

Create Your Own Cornell

A lavishly illustrated and collaged book presents Cornell's life and art, his sources of inspiration, and artistic process, along with six project ideas. Housed in a sturdy keepsake box with a see-through front window and removable grid, the package also includes materials to jump-start the creative process-printed sheets for collage, a metal ring, antique tags, and a magnifier.
The Joseph Cornell Box: Found Objects, Magical Worlds

The Joseph Cornell Box: Found Objects, Magical Worlds

by: Joan Sommers, Ascha Drake

Amazon Price: $243.09 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

I think the book/kit is beautifully put together. It's a wonderful way for children and adults to learn about Cornell's life and work, gaining a sense of clarity about an artist whose personal mythology could so easily be considered inaccessible."

Hope You Enjoyed Finding Out About Joseph Cornell

Thanks for dropping by, your feedback is greatly appreciated

  • bookofgold May 10, 2010 @ 2:49 am | delete
    Thanks for sharing this information. I will be using it to inspire my class of 7 and 8 year olds. Lovely stuff!
  • Kyecerulian Mar 12, 2010 @ 1:45 pm | delete
    Very much enjoyed this lens. I think Joseph Cornell might have been an inspiration for a storyline on one of William Gibson's books. I'll have to look into that further!
  • prosperity66 Mar 10, 2010 @ 3:52 am | delete
    Not only this page is highly attractive to the eyes but also very informative. Definitely appreciate the time spent here.
    Blessed by a SquidAngel - will be featured on my Angel blog later :)
    Dom.
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Read What Bloggers Are Saying About Joseph Cornell

At DC art galleries, some gems amid the summer slowdown
(1515 14th St. NW; 202-234-5601, www.hemphillfinearts.com) Upstairs in the same complex, the Curator's Office recently opened ?An Architect's Dream,? a group exhibition inspired by Joseph Cornell ? and the Kate Bush song that provides the title.
Yayoi Kusama Writes of Hunger, Grudges, and Necking With Joseph Cornell in Her ...
In a section titled "People I've Known, People I've Loved," Kusama describes her relationship with Joseph Cornell. It's a surprisingly touching, if rather sad, tale, of two isolated, driven, visionary misfits. Cornell, who was 25 years her senior, ...
Covington artist exhibits assemblage
By Linda Dautreuil Assemblage as art existed in the cultural tradition of the rural South before the practice was explored by artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Picasso and Braque, Jean Dubuffet, Joseph Cornell and, later, Robert Rauchenberg among the ...
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Joseph Cornell Book 

Dime-Store Alchemy: The Art of Joseph Cornell (New York Review Books Classics)

Dime-Store Alchemy: The Art of Joseph Cornell (New York Review Books Classics)

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Joseph Cornell 

Joseph Cornell: Gifts of Desire

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by: Dickran Tashjian

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