Joseph Cornell American, 1903–1972
Soap Bubble Set
1948
Joseph Cornell's 'Soap Bubble Set' is one of the reliquary-like glass-fronted boxes the American Surrealist assembled through the 1930s–60s, combining cordial glasses, clay pipes, celestial maps, and tiny suspended spheres into enigmatic private cosmologies. Several 'Soap Bubble Sets' were produced as variations on his childhood memories and love of astronomy; the Art Institute of Chicago holds one of the fullest examples.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Art Institute of Chicago