True beauty is in the soul of the beholder. Finding enchantment in things ignored, forgotten and fleeting, Joseph Cornell captured the “beauty of the commonplace” in treasure boxes, collages and other creations from the 1930s to his death in 1972.

You can behold 177 of his mind-tingling musings in “Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination,” which debuted Friday at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.