Joseph Cornell

Collage on photographic paper, heightened with gouache and pen. This work is in very good original condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"[...] there's something about "Home, Poor Heart" that belies its simplicity. There's an implied narrative - and all the power and mystery of the storyteller's art - that doesn't exist in either of its component parts. A flavor of longing, of sadness, of ineffable loss and the struggle to replace something gone forever. For that reason Cornell's collages, along with his even more famous boxes, often feel more like trajectories than static things. They don't sit still, but rather travel through, or "navigate" the imagination [...]. You don't so much look at them as read them."

Michael O'Sullivan, 'Joseph Cornell's 'Poetic Theaters'', Washington Post, 24 November 2006