I've been away far too many months and I've missed posting here; the story behind it is way to long to tell and far from over (look here if you are curious), but I just couldn't resist mentioning exhibitions of two artists whose work has influenced me strongly.

First up, Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination. Sadly, I couldn't get to see the exhibitions at the Smithsonian, PEM, or SFMoMA, but I've always adored Joseph Cornell's boxes and collages. He is the first artist I wanted to imitate because he had such a sensitivity to type, image and placement. Very much a solid muse for a young, perfectionist, graphic designer type. I'm always taken aback when I see his pieces up close, as they are so meticulous and thoughtful. Lynda Roscoe Hartigan's book of the same name is On The Desk and will probably have to suffice as a 2-d but more permanent substitute to actually seeing so many pieces together. I read Deborah Solomon's Utopia Parkway: The Life and Times of Joseph Cornell ten years ago and found it thoroughly entertaining and informative as well.

Joseph Cornell
Untitled (Tilly Losch), ca. 1935-38
The Robert Lehrman Art Trust, Courtesy Aimee and Robert Lehrman, Washington, D.C.
© The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York
Photo: Mark Gulezian/Quicksilver

Next, Jean Prouvé at the Design Museum London (and others). Prouvé was a problem-solver. As an architect, furniture designer or space planner his work always addressed the issues at hand, whether the tropical climate of colonial West Africa or desks and chairs for an office environment, every facet of an assignment was explored and developed to produce a simple, economical and visually beautiful solution. Tickets to the Design Museum exhibition also include entry to the Maison Tropicale housed at Tate Modern from the Feb 5, 2008.