An 'overflowing, a richness & poetry': Joseph Cornell's Planet Set and Giuditta Pasta

Abstract

The American artist Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) is famous for his allusive box constructions. This paper examines the history of Planet Set 1950, a work in Tate's collection that has received little critical commentary. In particular, it explores Cornell's fascination with the early nineteenth-century opera singer Giuditta Pasta, and shows how this relates to a number of other themes in his work, including stars, maps and birds.