Joseph Cornell: Worlds Within a Box

I've had a fascination with beautiful trinkets since childhood. In addition to collecting scraps of ribbon, beautiful prints, and other objects with a nostalgic quality - I would also acquire tiny boxes in which to house my treasures. So when I stumbled upon the artist Joseph Cornell's collection of boxed assemblages, made of the very discarded fragments of once precious objects, a feeling of familiarity and childish delight took hold. I felt as though I had chanced upon a fraction of the world once known to an innocent imagination, locked away until now.

Untitled (Hotel Eden) c.1945

The self-taught Cornell was best known for his "shadow boxes" or "poetic theaters". His arrangement of photographs or Victorian bric-à-brac, were linked to Surrealism and possess an aesthetic similar to today's revival of French country design and the trend of re-purposing reclaimed material.

Untitled (Soap Bubble Set) c.1936

The artist is described time and again as: a wistful collector of shells, broken clocks, and antiquated postcards; a friend to ballerinas; and a shy man dedicated to his spirituality and care for his younger brother.

Untitled (Marine Fantasy with Tamara Toumanova) c. 1940

His art, the pastiche of many familiar and loved themes, inspires me to create. I can only hope that the magic of his pieces may have stirred something in you as well. If I've succeeded at peaking your interest then this interactive online museum allows you to view more of his work.