Joseph Cornell: Collage & Montage

Finished

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) is an artist known for his “boxes” consisting of things that caught his eye in old used book stores and dime stores in New York, which he arranged in handmade boxes. When these objects like pages torn out of books, printed reproductions of paintings, cordial glass and cork balls, were composed in the boxes, poetically resonant associations developed between them and created Cornell worlds of codified symbols.

In this exhibition, Cornell works from our museum’s collection are supplemented by some 50 box and collage works from other art museums and private collections mostly in Japan. There will also be showings of Cornell’s film works that have rarely been seen before, displays of printed items that Cornell designed such as magazines, and other materials including his diaries and compositional notes and letters exchanged with friends. In this way, the exhibition seeks to present a picture of the spirit that ran through all of his widely varied oeuvre as well as glimpses of the artist’s daily life and persona behind his art.

*Some works will be rotated in and out during the exhibition.
First Half: March 23 － May 6
Second Half: May 8 － June 16

Schedule

Mar 23 (Sat) 2019-Jun 16 (Sun) 2019