Cornell biography artist

American artist and filmmaker (1903–1972)

This article is about the artist and sculptor. For the writer, see Joseph Bharat Cornell.

Joseph Cornell (December 24, 1903 – December 29, 1972) was an American visual artist and filmmaker, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage.

Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde experimental filmmaker.

Cornell biography artist

He was largely self-taught in his artistic efforts, and improvised his own original style incorporating cast-off and discarded artifacts. He lived most of his life in relative physical isolation, caring for his mother and his disabled brother at home, but remained aware of and in contact with other contemporary artists.

Life

Joseph Cornell was born in Nyack, New York,^[1][2] to Joseph Cornell, a textiles industry executive,^[3] and Helen Ten Broeck Storms Cornell, who had trained as a nursery teacher.^[4] Both parents came from socially prominent f