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Joseph Cornell Untitled 1934 collage on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Textile Design ca. 1934-35 tempera on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Bell-Jar Object ca. 1939 assemblage (paper elements suspended in bell-jar) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Fortune-Telling Parrot for Carmen Miranda (Parrot Music Box) ca. 1939 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice |
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Joseph Cornell Setting for a Fairy Tale 1942 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice |
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Joseph Cornell Zizi Jeanmaire ca. 1949 assemblage (manipulated photo, blue glass, customized frame) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Cockatoo: Keepsake Parakeet ca. 1949-50 assemblage (wood, screen, printed paper, found objects) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Grand Hôtel Bon Port 1952 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Hôtel du Nord ca. 1953 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Andromeda: Grand Hôtel de l'Observatoire 1954 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Guggenheim Museum, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Space Object Box ca. 1955 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Guggenheim Museum, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Celestial Navigation ca. 1958 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Sun Box 1960 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Untitled ca. 1960 collage on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Custodian M.M. 1962 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York |
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Joseph Cornell Moon Phases, Eclipses and Tides 1962 collage on paper Walker Art Center, Minneapolis |
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Joseph Cornell 7 Tears of Lucia (for Anna Moffo) 1964 assemblage (wood, paper, cardboard, glass) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Allegra Kent ca. 1965 collage on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Eclipsing Binary Algol with Magnitude Changes ca. 1965 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Walker Art Center, Minneapolis |
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Joseph Cornell La Jeune Parque ca. 1965 collage on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Weather Satellites ca. 1965 collage on paper Whitney Museum of American Art, New York |
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Joseph Cornell The Trajectory of Ursa Major 1966 assemblage (wood, glass, printed paper, found objects) Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
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Joseph Cornell La Duse ca. 1967 collage on board Guggenheim Museum, New York |
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Joseph Cornell "They say the owl is a baker's daughter" - Ophelia 1971 watercolor and ink on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
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Joseph Cornell Hôtel du Nord 1972 screenprint Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC |
from The Sword in the Stone
I had arranged to join an old acquaintance for dinner.
There he was at our accustomed table;
the wine was poured; he was engaged with the waiter,
discussing the lamb.
As usual, a small argument erupted over dinner, ostensibly
concerning aesthetics. It was allowed to pass.
Outside, the bridge glittered.
Cars rushed back and forth, the river
glittered back, imitating the bridge. Nature
reflecting art: something to that effect.
My friend found the image potent.
He was a writer. His many novels, at the time,
were much praised. One was much like another.
And yet his complacency disguised suffering
as perhaps my suffering disguised complacency.
We had known each other many years.
Once again, I had accused him of laziness.
Once again, he flung the word back –
He raised his glass and turned it upside down.
This is your purity, he said,
this is your perfectionism –
The glass was empty, it left no mark on the tablecloth.
– Louise Glück (2014)