Sunday, November 18, 2012

Visual Fantasy

Great news, the New Orleans Museum of Art is presenting its collection of twenty-one works from Joseph Cornell in a new setting. Previously relegated in a backroom, they are now assembled in a dark blue gallery which allows contrasts  between lights and shadows and creates the right atmosphere to fully appreciate  the pieces.

The compositions give a second life to abandoned objects, now symbols, memories, relics, gathered in a box to construct a parallel world, bizarre,  playful, poetic, mysterious, magic. Each work is a visual riddle to decipher. The collision of objects assembled in the boxes or pictures in the collages creates a surrealistic world with a spiritual dimension. 
Like an insect, the viewer is attracted by each piece, glowing in the dark blue room.

The unique artist has finally found his place at the NOMA.

photographs by the author:

view of the exhibition at the NOMA
"The Existentialiste", n.d., Joseph Cornell
"Untitled (Sun Box, Series, Blue), cc. 1934, Joseph Cornell

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