At The MET: Joseph Orwell's Birds of a Feather AND the Versailles Exhibits - Plumes and Fluff

This is your last chance to see Joseph Cornell's "Birds of a Feather" an homage to Juan Gris.   Opening next week is "Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789".  Of the two, the small gallery with Cornell's Birds holds more gravitas and fascination than the expansive and regal "Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789".  In the later, the collection of shadow boxes made by Cornell between 1953-1966 placed in the room with the famous Cubist painting "The Man at the Cafe" which inspired Cornell to proliferate and create numerous windows boxes with the image of the great white crested cockatoo.  As playful & dissimilar these individuals boxes are to each other & moreover to Gris' masterpiece (gifted to the MET from the Lauder Fdtn) the challenge of finding reflections betwixt and between is bewitching.  The shadowing, shapes and color palettes resonate with recognition.  I extend my imagination into the selection of the white cockatoo proudly perched and preening his plumes.  Cornell's admiration for Gris is made apparent but I like to inject my theories for Cornell's choice of this fluffy bird.  Gris was a known Francophile and lover of the ballet and opera (for which designed several sets in NYC).  Gris was also the older brother who cared for his younger invalid sibling who had cerebral palsy.  Gris often brought his brother with him to performances.  The boxes are whimsical & enchanting which likely enthralled his brother and the imagery of flight, freedom and travel were a loving metaphor meant for his brother.  "Visitors to Versailles" will not be disappointed when first entering this grand exhibit.  The highlights are the fashions adorned by the aristocracy that are worth the visit.  So too are the bejeweled ornaments and gifts bestowed by visiting dignitaries unto the Royal family whose extravagance knew no bounds up until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th C.  I advise using the headphones to hear the different voices exclaim their abject admiration.  Or in the case of the woman whining about the discomfort riding in the carriage in her expansive dress to appear before the court, a bemusing champagne complaint.  Frankly, this fluffy exhibit was mostly forgettable.  Visit the birds! And, I quiver in anticipation for the next Costume Institute exhibit:  "Heavenly Bodies - Fashions and the Catholic Imagination" opening in May.