Filmmaker Wes Anderson is the latest guest on Ruthie’s Table 4, joining host Ruthie Rogers for a rare conversation about art, craft, and exhibition-making.
The episode was recorded inside the Paris exhibition recreating Joseph Cornell’s studio, offering listeners an intimate view of Anderson’s reflections on Cornell’s life and work.
“The thing with him was he obviously had a fantasy of travelling the world. These boxes he made… they’re grand hotels and they’re very international. And it was all from his little place in Queens,” Anderson says of Cornell, who stayed close to home while creating personal shadow-box gifts for his brother.
Wes explains how the exhibition was realised, describing it as design rather than authorship. “I had the thought to say, ‘Well, why don’t we just recreate his studio here and we’ll show the real boxes with a background, with a theatrical backdrop of his world,’” he says.
He details how filmmaking techniques from hand-painted signage to aged surfaces were used to recreate Cornell’s world at scale.
“All the stained ceilings, everything you see here that looks old only looks old because Catherine sat there with a brush and made it old,” he adds, highlighting the meticulous craftsmanship involved.
The conversation also explores accessibility in art. Anderson notes: “I think he had something to say about that, about his artwork being shown low… I like to get right up to it. But I think there’s something quite childlike in his work because a lot of his work is almost like toys.”
He likens the exhibition to one large Joseph Cornell box, saying: “As we started to do this, we realised we’re creating one big Joseph Cornell box ourselves… you stand outside and look into it like it’s a box.”
Wes also shares how his process draws on collaboration, involving French sign painters, scenic artists, and careful selection of objects from collectors.
“We borrowed boxes… Jasper organised for loans of art. I guess he was already doing that before,” he explains.
He also reflects on the democratic nature of presenting art in public view, describing the Paris exhibition as “a good shop window… it’s accessible.”
The latest episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 is available now on all podcast platforms.
