Joseph Cornell / Marcel Duchamp...In Resonance [Hardcover]

Susan Davidson (Author), Ann Temkin (Author), Joseph Cornell (Author), Marcel Duchamp (Author), Walter Hopps (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 1998

This book chronicles the friendship and working relationship between two of the twentieth century's most innovative and influential artists--Joseph Cornell and Marcel Duchamp. The focus of this book is the box compiled by Cornell and dedicated to his friend Duchamp: the Duchamp Dossier, c. 1934-53, a hitherto publicly unknown artwork discovered in the artist's estate following his death.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Joseph Cornell/Marcel Duchamp... In Resonance is a beautiful catalog of works by both of the artists, accompanied by eight essays that explore their work and their relationship. These essays include marvelous anecdotes and information about both the personal and artistic lives of the artists and how deeply they influenced one another. Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) was a somewhat reclusive American artist from Queens, New York, who was known for his small theatrical box constructions. Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was born in France and was an integral part of the avant-garde art world--he is often called the father of contemporary art. The focus of the book revolves around the "Duchamp Dossier," a varied collection of objects from Duchamp that Cornell collected. "There's no way of knowing whether the dossier was made in collaboration with Duchamp or whether Duchamp knew of it at all, although it seems likely that he may have suspected it existed. It contained various things that Duchamp had clearly given to Cornell." The complete contents of the dossier are reproduced in this volume at 60 percent of their actual size.

What is so fascinating about the dossier is that it is something of a physical map of the interactions between Cornell and Duchamp. Along with the photo reproductions there is a complete and extremely detailed inventory of the dossier, including such information as the text of letters and type of postage. Also in the book is a comprehensive chronology of the lives of both artists. The book, a hefty 344 pages, includes 126 color plates and 320 halftone images. --Jennifer Cohen

From Library Journal

The expatriate Frenchman Duchamp was cerebral and urbane, while the sheltered Cornell is often portrayed as a poet. Yet they had a real and lasting friendship that sprang from an admiration for each other's work. One record remains of this largely private friendship: the "Duchamp Dossier," a box kept by Cornell and filled with scraps of paper and other fragmentary momentos. That "work" is reproduced here in painstaking detail, its contents spread over 50 pages; in addition, two other large sections of plates present dozens of works by each artist in very fine reproductions. Between these visual gems, five well-researched essays and a chronolgy explore the relationship and its meanings without forcing connections. Accompanying a show moving from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to Houston's Menil Collection, this catalog sheds new light on two major figures in 20th-century art. For all collections in academic and public libraries interested in 20th-century art.?Douglas McClemont, New York
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Hatje Cantz Publishers (November 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3893224319
• ISBN-13: 978-3893224319
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Compilation Yet, December 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Joseph Cornell / Marcel Duchamp...In Resonance (Hardcover)

I haven't actually bought this book yet, in hopes of receiving it for Christmas, but I spent an indordinant amount of time looking at it in a bookstore - and even went back to admire it again. I love Joseph Cornell's work, and have perused all available volumes with pictures of his artwork, and this is the most complete and beautiful. His shadow boxes are displayed one per page - page after page, which is such a treat! I'm also a Marcel DuChamp fan and think it's genius to combine their work in one book. The likenesses and juxtapositions are facinating, and make this compilation a must have.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cornell/Duchamp "Collaboration", January 19, 1999

By 

Elizabeth Blake (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joseph Cornell / Marcel Duchamp...In Resonance (Hardcover)

This book is the catalogue for an exhibition on the intersection of the works of Duchamp and Cornell, specifically the "Duchamp Dossier," a peculiar collection of art and trash that Cornell kept on a shelf in his house. Since it was not discovered until after his death, one can only guess whether he considered it an art piece, though he was known for compiling such "explorations," as he called them, throughout his life. The book contains a large number of beautiful color plates of both artists' work, though many of Duchamp's major pieces are not reproduced (the Cornell plates are more comprehensive). The accompanying texts are not dense critiques but, for the most part, anecdotal narratives with the occasional interpretive aside. For such a large book, it was a fast read and very entertaining. The two artists in question are visual poets rather than painters per se, and there are many creative similarities between them despite their wholly different lifestyles and personalities. Worth buying if you are a Duchamp fanatic like myself, especially for the images.

10 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling., January 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Joseph Cornell / Marcel Duchamp...In Resonance (Hardcover)

Duchamp is undeniably intriguing. His art has covered numerous styles, forms, concepts, etc.. His hermetic, curious existence is fascinating as well, and thanks to some of the essays in this wonderful book, new perspective is shown. Joseph Cornell's art never made the same impact as Duchamp, but it really can't be argued that he is extremely talented. It's hard to give a decent review of this. I've found it to be one of the most fascinating books about art ever, which is an incredibly hard task.