In 1953, when Joseph Cornell saw a collage by the Spanish painter Juan Gris, titled “The Man at the Café,” it inspired the most extensive series of the American sculptor’s career. “Birds of a Feather: Joseph Cornell’s Homage to Juan Gris,” at the Met, unites the Cubist masterpiece from 1914 with twelve of the shadow boxes that Cornell made in response to it, including “Untitled (Le Soir),” circa 1953-54. (It’s pictured behind the scenes at the museum, above.) The exhibition is on view through April 15.
