“[Tamara] Toumanova was Cornell’s contemporary; her friendship put him in intimate contact with the ongoing vitality of the dance. A bit startled by his first encounter with a ballerina (Toumanova recalls that he took five steps backwards when they met), Cornell was nevertheless entranced. His response to this wondrous new presence in his life was to transform her into a dream from the Romantic past. Her importance to this work is evident in the numerous constructions and collages he made in her honor”
C ommanded by a deep sense of nostalgia and enamored with beauty, Joseph Cornell aims to unite past, present and future in this miniature assemblage dating to 1942 and titled Homage to the Romantic Ballet. Cornell made at least two-dozen works of various format and media inspired specifically by Tamara Toumanova, an internationally renowned Russian ballerina whom he met in 1940 and whose image appears enshrined within this box construction, encircled by sparkling gems. For Cornell, Toumanova in particular served as a living reincarnation of the Romantic era whose grace and elegance was so captivating to him. In this miniature homage to this muse, the artist includes a collection of seemingly unrelated objects, acting in many ways as a guardian of her legacy, ensuring she endures in perpetuity by means of his careful preservation. A wonderful example from the artist’s rich and varied oeuvre, the present work characterizes Cornell’s unique approach to sculptural and conceptual creations that push the very boundaries of the medium.
“Dream fragments loosened by the breezes from the floating form of the Peri, Carlotta Grisi. Gold rain shed by the garments of the dark fairy, Tamara Toumanova.”
