Joseph Cornell (1903 – 1972) was an American artist and sculptor, filmmaker and one of the pioneers of assemblage (three dimensional collage usually created from everyday objects)."Using the Surrealist technique of unexpected juxtaposition, Joseph Cornell's best-known works are glass-fronted boxes into which he placed and arranged Victorian bric-a-brac, old photographs, dime-store trinkets, and other found elements. Generally referred to as "shadow boxes," the resulting pieces are dream-like miniature tableaux that inspire the viewer to see each component in a new light. Cornell often used the shadow boxes to address recurrent themes of interest such as childhood, space, and birds, and they represented an escape of sorts for their creator, who was famously reclusive."
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-cornell-joseph.htm
"Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time with the eyes of a child."
A few months ago I saw an exhibition of his "boxes" in Vienna. I was completely enchanted.
My avatar is a Joseph Cornell box:
And here are some of my other favourites:
