C&M Arts

Explore Selected Works

Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Swan Box), c. 1945, box construction, Collection of Robert and Aimee Lehrman, Washington, D.C., in honor of Juliette Lehrman, 2023.124.6

Untitled (Swan Box)

Joseph Cornell · c. 1945 · box construction ·  Accession ID  2023.124.6

Rectangles, scribbles, and smudges loosely cluster to create a band that runs from the bottom left corner to the top right against a parchment-white background in this horizontal, abstract work. The work was created with wax crayons, graphite, and house paint on canvas. Some of the shapes and smudges are royal blue, scarlet red, ochre yellow, or gray. Scribbles that suggest illegible writing fill some of the rectangles or is scrawled elsewhere in the composition. Handwritten numbers in blue, yellow, gray, or pumpkin orange are sprinkled throughout, including 2237, 26, 300, 1200, 28, and “17 x 400” near the upper right; 82, 28, 23, and 18 near the center; and 82, 2014, 300, 24, and 8 near the lower left. The largest number, “16490” is written in tall letters near the lower right corner.
Cy Twombly, Untitled (Bolsena), 1969, oil-based house paint, wax crayon, and graphite on canvas, Gift of the Collectors Committee and Adriana and Robert Mnuchin, 1995.73.1

Untitled (Bolsena)

Cy Twombly · 1969 · oil-based house paint, wax crayon, and graphite on canvas ·  Accession ID  1995.73.1