Joseph Cornell: Gifts of Desire

Cultural historian Dickran Tashjian provides a fresh analysis of the works that Joseph Cornell conceived as gifts to ballerinas,poets and actresses. In this way the artist connected his life withg that of Emily Dickinson, Marianne Moore, Hedy Lamarr, Lauren Bacall and other glamourous and talented personalities he admired, most often from afar.His gifts ranged from simple gestures of love and affection to collaborations and exchanges with photographer Lee Miller and artists Leonor Fini and Dorothea Tanning,who,like himself,were connected with the Surrealist movement.

By making extensive use of the artist's diaries,correspondence and library,Tashjian leads the reader on a wondrous journey through the labrinth of Cornell's creative process.This beautifully designed book with lavish color plates captures the spirit of Cornell's enchanting collages and box constructions.