Wes Anderson to recreate Joseph Cornell’s studio at Gagosian Paris

Filmmaker Wes Anderson is collaborating with curator Jasper Sharp to recreate the New York studio of reclusive assemblage artist Joseph Cornell at Gagosian Paris, opening December 16th in a storefront space visible from the streetartsy.
The exhibition, titled “The House on Utopia Parkway,” marks the first solo presentation of Cornell’s work in Paris in over 40 years and will feature more than 300 items from the artist’s personal collection alongside approximately 12 of his signature shadow boxesartsy.
Key works on display include Pharmacy (1943), once owned by Marcel Duchamp, Untitled (Pinturicchio Boy) (c. 1950) from Cornell’s Medici series, and A Dressing Room for Gille (1939), inspired by a Jean-Antoine Watteau painting in the Louvreartsy.
Anderson and Sharp spent weeks studying archival photographs to reconstruct Cornell’s basement workspace, including his work table staged in progress and whitewashed shoeboxes containing his “spare parts department” of found objects, with Anderson’s film collaborators studying Cornell’s handwriting to label the recreated boxesartsy.
The exhibition runs through March 14, 2026, timed to Cornell’s December 24th birthday, and coincides with a retrospective of Anderson’s work opening November 21st at the Design Museum in Londonartsy.

Wes Anderson to Recreate Joseph Cornell’s Studio at Gagosian Paris

Filmmaker Wes Anderson is collaborating with curator Jasper Sharp to resurrect the New York studio of Joseph Cornell at Gagosian Paris, offering a rare glimpse into the workspace of the reclusive artist who never traveled to Europe but whose imagination wandered its streets constantly.artsy

An Immersive Window Display

The exhibition, titled “The House on Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell’s Studio Reimagined by Wes Anderson,” opens December 16 and marks the first solo presentation of Cornell’s work in Paris in more than 40 years. The storefront space at 9 rue de Castiglione will be transformed into a life-size shadow box visible from the street, recreating the basement studio where Cornell worked from his family home in Queens, New York.artsy

“It’s essentially a window display,” Sharp told The Art Newspaper. The installation will function as a walk-in tableau, meticulously staged to evoke the spirit and atmosphere of Cornell’s original workspace, where shelves lined with whitewashed shoeboxes contained his “spare parts department” of found objects.theartnewspaper

Cornell’s World Brought to Life

Anderson and Sharp spent weeks studying archival photographs and first-hand accounts to reconstruct the studio environment. The exhibition will feature over 300 objects and curiosities from Cornell’s personal collection alongside approximately 12 of his most recognizable shadow boxes. Key works include “Pharmacy” (1943), once owned by Marcel Duchamp and his wife Teeny; “Untitled (Pinturicchio Boy)” (c. 1950) from Cornell’s celebrated Medici series; “A Dressing Room for Gille” (1939), inspired by Jean-Antoine Watteau’s painting in the Louvre; and “Blériot II” (c. 1956), honoring French aviator Louis Blériot.theartnewspaper

Cornell’s work table will be recreated at the center of the gallery, staged to appear in progress, with unfinished boxes on loan from the Joseph Cornell Study Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum providing insight into his creative process. Anderson’s film collaborators have studied Cornell’s handwriting to label the recreated shoeboxes, and some materials have been artificially aged using techniques Cornell himself employed.artnet

The exhibition is timed to Cornell’s birthday on December 24, his favorite time of year, and runs through March 14, 2026. It coincides with a retrospective of Anderson’s work opening November 21 at London’s Design Museum.artsy