Exquisite Surprise: The Papers of Joseph Cornell
In his personal papers, as in his art, Joseph Cornell embraced life's evanescence. Known mainly for his shadow box constructions, Cornell documented his passion for "exquisite surprises"—the poignant connections between memory and sensory experience. He recorded his impressions of music, art, ballet, his art, and the intertwined sensations of seeing, feeling, and remembering in his diaries and on scraps of paper—the backs of envelopes, magazine clippings, and wrapping papers.
Deeply romantic, with wide-ranging cultural interests, Cornell kept "dossiers" on people with whom he felt a special relationship-real or imagined-including actresses, singers, artists, ballerinas, and writers. He also collected source material for his exploration of such subjects as astronomy, books, birds, butterflies, clouds, poetry, stamps and sunsets.
This exhibition reveals Cornell's sense of wonder through his private communications, personal musings, and collected ephemera. For a more detailed description of the Archives' collection, see the Joseph Cornell papers, 1804-1986 bulk 1939-1972.
-
Peiro Dorazio postcard to Joseph Cornell
- Date
- ca. 1950
-
Sonja Sekula postcard to Joseph Cornell
- Date
- ca. 1948 Jul 20
-
Dorothea Tanning postcard to Joseph Cornell
- Date
- 1965 Sep. 21
-
Dorothea Tanning postcard to Joseph Cornell
- Date
- 1949 August 4
-
Draft of a letter to unknown recipient
- Date
- 1951 Aug. 31
-
Ballerina cutout
- Date
- between 1940 and 1970
-
Horse racing ticket stubs
- Date
- 1949 Nov. 4
-
Collage of Tamara Toumanova dancing
- Date
- between 1940 and 1970
-
Marilyn and Pat letter to Joseph Cornell
- Date
- between 1940 and 1970
-
Ann Marie letter to Joseph Cornell
- Date
- 1957 Sept. 1
Remove facets below