Untitled (Window Facade) is a captivating artwork created by Joseph Cornell, an American artist known for his thought-provoking assemblage works. The piece is made of painted wood, nails, glass, and mirrors creatively combined in a wooden box measuring 20 in. × 11 in. × 4 1/4 in. (50.8 cm × 27.94 cm × 10.8 cm). Cornell did not have any formal art training; instead, his works were influenced by Surrealism.
Cornell was known to observe his surroundings carefully and make compulsive versions of the same stories using found objects like those used to create Untitled (Window Facade). Since its acquisition by an unknown buyer, the artwork has been privately owned.
The artwork’s striking combination of different objects creates a window-like effect that draws the viewer into its imaginative world. It can be said that Cornell uses found materials to tell stories about history and memory subtly but with immense impact on viewers’ emotions since there is no single narrative or story to decode from the piece; it elicits multiple interpretations depending on each viewer’s experiences and perspectives.
