Untitled (Swan Box)

c. 1945

Joseph Cornell

Associated Names
Joseph Cornell

Artist, American, 1903 - 1972

This is a painting featuring a white swan in the foreground set against a backdrop of a castle. The swan has a graceful posture with its neck curved elegantly as it appears to be grooming itself. The background shows an old castle with multiple turrets and windows, surrounded by trees with intricate leaf patterns. The scene is enclosed in a wooden frame, adding depth to the piece. The artwork is monochromatic with shades of blue and white, giving it a calm and timeless atmosphere. The style resembles that of 19th-century European aesthetics combining elements of nature and architecture.
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On View

East Building Upper Level, Gallery E415

Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation; (C&M Arts, New York); purchased 1 April 1996 by Robert Lehrman, Washington, DC.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1976

  • Joseph Cornell, Leo Castelli Gallery; Richard L. Feigen and Company; James Corcoran Gallery; New York, 1976, no. 10 as Untitled (Blue Swan).

1977

  • Joseph Cornell, Rice Museum, Houston, 1977, no catalogue, checklist no. 15 as Untitled (Blue Swan).

1978

  • Joseph Cornell, Akron Art Institute, Akron, OH, 1978, no. 4, repro.

1981

  • Westkunst Zeitgenössische Kunst seit 1939, Museen der Stadt Köln, 1981, no. 253, repro.

1982

  • Joseph Cornell and the Ballet, Leo Castelli Gallery; Richard L. Feigen and Company; James Corcoran Gallery; New York, 1982-1983, no. 36, repro.

2005

  • Dialogues: Duchamp, Cornell, Johns, Rauschenberg, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, 2005-2006, no. 18, repro.

2015

  • Joseph Cornell: Wanderlust, Royal Academy of Art, London; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; 2015-2016, no. 31, repro.

2023

  • Miniature Worlds: Joseph Cornell, Ray Johnson, Yayoi Kusama, Katonah Museum of Art, New York, 2023, unnumbered checklist, repro.

Bibliography

1997

  • Solomon, Deborah. Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell. New York, 1997:123, repro.

1999

  • West, Paul. "Boxed In." Conjunctions no. 32 (1999): 257, repro.

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