Joseph Cornell

Egan Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above circa 1950)
Acquired by descent to the present owner from the above

New York, Egan Gallery, The Aviary, December 1949, cat. no. 2

Deborah Solomon, Utopia Parkway, The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell, London and Boston, 1997, p. 193, illustrated (installation photograph from 1949 Egan Gallery exhibition) 

This work is in very good condition overall. There is some overall wear, chipping and losses inherent to the original state of found objects, as is common for Cornell's work. The sculpture has recently been cleaned (both interior and exterior) and the paint on the inner dowels has been stabilized and consolidated. A crack in the wood on the upper proper left side of the box has recently been stabilized, filled and inpainted.
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 1949, Cornell made his debut at the Charles Egan Gallery with his first show devoted to the boxes for which he is best remembered. Aviary consisted of 26 bird boxes from the late 1940s, hung on ledges of various heights to suggest birds in trees. Egan, whose 57th Street gallery opened in 1945, was to be a staunch supporter of Cornell. The two were an odd pair as Egan primarily fostered the careers of Abstract Expressionists whose style would come to define the art of the 1950s. Their partnership coincided with Cornell's turn toward a more streamlined modernity, away from of his preference for Victoriana and Surrealism in favor of a more streamlined modernity. Untitled (Aviary), with its white-washed interior, pegs and pull-out drawers typifies Cornell's new approach to his miniature habitats.  He diverged from the "fairy-tale motifs that had engaged him throughout the 1940s... his Aviaries belonged to the era of Abstract Expressionism – with all that that implies about direct gestures and blunt truths" (D. Solomon, Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell, 1997, p. 186). Untitled (Aviary) is typical of the 1949 show with its spare interior, geometric elements of peg and spiral and lack of sentimental decoration.