Joseph Cornell Estate Papers
Object Details
- Collection Creator
- Cornell, Joseph
- See more items in
- Joseph Cornell papers
- Sponsor
- Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
- Extent
- 3.5 Linear feet (Boxes 19-22)
- Date
- circa 1911
- 1944-1986
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Art
- Identifier
- AAA.cornjose, Series 10
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Joseph Cornell papers, 1804-1986, bulk 1939-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- Arrangement note
- The Joseph Cornell Estate Papers series is arranged as four subseries. 10.1: Correspondence, 1954-1986 10.2: Legal Files, 1966-1968, 1973-1983 10.3: Printed Material, 1944-1982 10.4: Miscellaneous Family Papers, circa 1911, 1944-1964
- Collection Rights
- The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
- Existence and Location of Copies
- The bulk of this series has been scanned with the exception of printed materials such as books, magazines and exhibition catalogs for artists other than Cornell; typically only covers, title pages, and/or relevant pages of these items have been digitized.
- Scope and Contents note
- Series is comprised primarily of correspondence, legal documents, and printed material created and accumulated by Betty Cornell Benton in her role as residuary legatee of Cornell's estate, as well as some miscellaneous family papers. Estate papers relate to Benton's administration of the part of Cornell's estate for which she was responsible and her various legal disputes with the executors of the estate. They shed light, to a certain extent, on the exhibition and sale of Cornell art works, as well as on the disposition of Cornell material, during the period of time after his death and up until the mid-1980s. Estate papers document Benton's efforts to safeguard the memory of Cornell and to foster the memory of their brother, Robert, who was often wrongly portrayed as having mental disabilities; to carry on Cornell's legacy by contributing to charitable institutions and donating art works to museums and universities; and to organize and appropriately dispose of Cornell's papers, books, records, and source material. They also document the relationships Benton forged with some of Cornell's friends and acquaintances, as well as with curators, museum directors, collectors, dealers, and artists.
- Collection Restrictions
- Use of the original papers requires an appointment.
- Record ID
- ebl-1503512335132-1503512335254-3
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
