Sand Fountain

1948

Joseph Cornell

Associated Names
Joseph Cornell

Artist, American, 1903 - 1972

The sculpture is a three-dimensional piece enclosed in a box-like frame with textured sides covered in printed text. Inside, there is a small, abstract setting resembling a miniature room or alcove with a cracked, white-painted backdrop. At the bottom of the scene, a mound of yellow sand partially fills the space, with some collected in an overturned, broken glass near the base. Above, a hole in the upper white section releases a thin flow of yellow sand that trickles down to join the pile below. The materials used include wood, paint, glass, and sand, creating a visually layered and textured appearance. The sculpture presents a contained, abstract environment with elements evoking time and decay, while its small scale gives it an intimate feel.
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On View

East Building Upper Level, Gallery E415


Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of the artist; (Allan Stone Gallery, New York); sold 1977 to Robert and Jane Meyerhoff, Phoenix, Maryland;[1] gift 1991 to NGA.
[1] Provenance from The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection 1945 to 1995, Exh. cat., National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1996: 237.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1996

  • The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: 1945 to 1995, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1996, no. 10, color repro.

2014

  • Modernism from the National Gallery of Art: The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young Museum, 2014, pl. 19.

Bibliography

1980

  • Sundell, Nina. The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection 1958-1979. Baltimore, 1980: 11, repro.

1996

  • The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: 1945 to 1995. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1996: no. 10.

Wikidata ID

Q63860932

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