Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination
Saturday, October 06, 2007 - Sunday, 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 as a sort of artistic alchemist.

Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination 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.

http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/exhib_detail.asp?id=264


Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination, developed by the Peabody Essex Museum, is available from any computer with Internet access. This dynamic program presents an overview of the themes highlighted in the current exhibition, a close look at key works of art, and excerpts from Cornell's private journals.