- 117
Joseph Cornell
Estimate
180,000 - 220,000 USD
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Description
- Joseph Cornell
- Untitled (Grand Hotel)
- Wood, printed paper, sand, metal and found objects in glass and painted wood box construction
- 18 1/4 by 10 5/8 by 3 3/4 in.; 46.4 by 27 by 9.5 cm
- Executed circa 1956. Please note that in the print catalogue for this sale, this lot appears as number 117T.
Provenance
Allan Stone Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above in June 1976)
S|2, New York
Acquired from the above by A. Alfred Taubman in December 2011
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above in June 1976)
S|2, New York
Acquired from the above by A. Alfred Taubman in December 2011
Exhibited
New York, Museum of Modern Art, Joseph Cornell Retrospective, November 1980 - January 1981, cat. no. 129, illustrated
New York, S|2, Hunters and Gatherers: The Art of Assemblage, November - December 2011
New York, S|2, Hunters and Gatherers: The Art of Assemblage, November - December 2011
Condition
This work is in very good and sound condition overall. The handmade frame of the box exhibits evidence of light wear, most notably some minor losses in the upper right corner, and craquelure to the paint, inherent to the artistÂ’s working method. All of the elements are stable and secure and the cylindrical suspended element swings freely. All further inconsistencies in the interior appear inherent to the work and to the artist's working method.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
"Cornell, an armchair traveler, his head filled with dreams of distant places, really did roam far in his thoughts. In his mind's eye, he followed peripatetic romantic ballerinas on world tours and envisioned them in the cramped, meagerly furnished rooms where they rested overnight. But his Hotel boxes are not strictly sensual places. They're also spiritual palaces...[in which] Cornell [is allowed] to gather his visions of feminine beauty into a place that exists on no map. For the journey he is making is not merely between one city and the next. The journey is also between life and the next station that awaits us, and in his Hotels, he guarantees his beloveds a life that outlasts mere flesh." (Deborah Solomon, Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell, Boston, 1997, p. 217)