Joseph Cornell

(American, 1903–1972)

The Human Thermostat, c. 1961

collage on board

signed Joseph Cornell and titled (verso)

12 x 9 inches.

This lot is located in New York.

Provenance:

Estate of the Artist

C & M Arts, New York

Private Collection, New York

Sold: Sotheby’s, New York, November 15, 2007, lot 127

Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York

Private Collection, New York

Exhibited:

New York, New York, C & M Arts, Joseph Cornell: Collages, July 19 – September 13, 2002

Lot note:

Due to declining physical strength, Joseph Cornell, in his late fifties, moved away from creating three-dimensional shadow box constructions to working exclusively in collage on board. The collages allowed him to continue exploring visually intriguing juxtapositions.

The typed written text on the reverse was clipped by the artist from Scientific American, vol. 204, January 1, 1961, p. 134 from an article by T. H. Benzinger.

The full text read as: THE HUMAN THERMOSTAT. A newly discovered sensory organ in the brain precisely measures the body temperature and trips the heat-dissipating mechanisms that maintain the temperature within a fraction of one degree.

Joseph Cornell covered the three words, “in the brain” with an aviary stamp and used the resultant quotation of text as a playful explanation for his collage cut-out in the verso image. Bird images and travel were constant themes in Cornell’s box constructions and collages.

Framed: 14 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches.

Overall good condition; areas of wear and light surface soiling are present, most notably along extreme left and upper edges; small scattered areas of associated loss, the most prominent along extreme left edge at center; an area of gentle surface scratches to the background at upper center, primarily visible in raking light; a small spot of loss near the central upper edge, measuring approximately 1/3 inch; texture of the work commensurate with the nature of the medium and artist's process; small areas of loss to the margins verso, not affecting the image area. Additional images available upon request.

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Zack Wirsum

SVP, Head of Department, Post War and Contemporary Art

[email protected]312.600.6069

Mr. Wirsum joined the firm in 2007 as a Fine Art registrar and became a department specialist in 2013, with a focus on Post War and Contemporary art. Through his vision, the department has achieved record breaking prices. Mr. Wirsum evaluates and appraises well over 5,000 works of art each year, collaborating with leading international committees and experts on authentication. Prior to joining Freeman's, Mr. Wirsum served as an assistant director and conservator at the Chicago Conservation Center. He received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a practicing painter with gallery representation.

Aaron Cator

Senior Specialist, Post War & Contemporary Art

[email protected]646.864.1746

Mr. Cator brings years of deep and wide-ranging art industry experience to his role. Prior to joining Freeman's, he operated his own art advisory firm where he worked with new and seasoned collectors to build customized art collections. He previously worked for David Zwirner for nearly seven years, where he spearheaded a robust annual rollout of key client development and marketing initiatives in the United States and internationally in London, Paris, and Hong Kong. Cator was an early member of the gallery’s marketing department, supporting the needs of both the gallery’s distinguished stable of artists and global client base.
Before his role at Zwirner, Cator held a number of curatorial research positions, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art where he worked under Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture Barbara Haskell, as well as at the Museum of Modern Art under Roxana Marcoci, the David Dechman Senior Curator of Photography.
Cator holds a bachelor’s degree in Art History and Political Science from Santa Clara University. He also pursued graduate studies in Art History at Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, with a concentration on social documentary and contemporary photography.

Post War and Contemporary Art

The Human Thermostat, c. 1961

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