Cy Twombly

Twombly, Cy Mr.

American, 1928 - 2011

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See all 21 works of art
The image includes swirling, textured brushstrokes in shades of pink and white forming an oval shape at the center. Thin, dynamic lines in red, yellow, and blue surround this shape. Above, there are red hand-drawn letters "NIKE" and other characters on a large canvas.
Cy Twombly, Nike, 1981, flat paint, crayon, and graphite on Fabriano wove paper, Gift of Lila Acheson Wallace, 1986.12.3

Nike

Cy Twombly · 1981 · flat paint, crayon, and graphite on Fabriano wove paper ·  Accession ID  1986.12.3

The image features abstract lines and shapes drawn with a sketchy, freeform style. At the top, there are faint, hand-drawn black lines and letters that suggest the word "sylvae." Below, towards the bottom, there is a swirl of red, black, and white lines converging into a dense mass. The red strokes reach upward from the cluster, resembling abstract petals or flames. Handwritten letters in red near the center on the right add to the sense of spontaneity and abstract expression.
Cy Twombly, Sylvae, 1981, paint stick, flat paint, crayon, and graphite on paper, Gift of Lila Acheson Wallace, 1986.12.1

Sylvae

Cy Twombly · 1981 · paint stick, flat paint, crayon, and graphite on paper ·  Accession ID  1986.12.1

The image displays swirling mass of creamy pinks and whites, outlined by broad strokes. A bold red brushstroke arcs over the top right. Faint, thin lines of green and yellow weave subtly into the lower left. The word "SYLVAE" is written in an orange freehand script on the left.
Cy Twombly, Sylvae, 1981, paint stick, flat paint, crayon, and graphite on paper, Gift of Lila Acheson Wallace, 1986.12.2

Sylvae

Cy Twombly · 1981 · paint stick, flat paint, crayon, and graphite on paper ·  Accession ID  1986.12.2

Blank piece of vertically oriented tan paper.
Various Artists, Lee Bontecou, Robert C. Breer, John Chamberlain, Walter De Maria, Mark di Suvero, Jim Dine, Dan Flavin, Öyvind Fahlström, Red Grooms, Hans Haacke, Alex Hay, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Morris, Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Noland, Claes Oldenburg, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, George Segal, Richard Serra, Keith Sonnier, Richard Peter Stankiewicz, Cy Twombly, Robert Whitman, Andy Warhol, Styria Studio, Experiments in Art and Technology, The New York Collection for Stockholm Portfolio, 1973, portfolio of thirty prints in various media on various papers, Gift of Robert Rauschenberg, 1976.66.1-30

The New York Collection for Stockholm Portfolio

Various Artists, Lee Bontecou, Robert C. Breer, John Chamberlain, Walter De Maria, Mark di Suvero, Jim Dine, Dan Flavin, Öyvind Fahlström, Red Grooms, Hans Haacke, Alex Hay, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Morris, Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Noland, Claes Oldenburg, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, George Segal, Richard Serra, Keith Sonnier, Richard Peter Stankiewicz, Cy Twombly, Robert Whitman, Andy Warhol, Styria Studio, Experiments in Art and Technology · 1973 · portfolio of thirty prints in various media on various papers ·  Accession ID  1976.66.1-30

The image displays an array of diagonal lines and shapes, creating a dynamic composition. It has streaks of black and soft teal spreading across the canvas, with overlapping rectangles resembling sheets of glass or beams of light in a misty atmosphere. The charcoal-like strokes suggest movement, reminiscent of wind-swept rain or rushing shadows, blending organic and geometric elements.
Cy Twombly, Styria Studio, Experiments in Art and Technology, Untitled, 1973, color screenprint and lithograph on wove paper, Gift of Robert Rauschenberg, 1976.66.28

Untitled

Cy Twombly, Styria Studio, Experiments in Art and Technology · 1973 · color screenprint and lithograph on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1976.66.28

The image displays undulating, curvilinear lines in dark and light gray overlapping layers creating an abstract pattern on a textured surface.
Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1969-1971, color screenprint on wove paper, Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Florian Carr Fund and Gift of the Print Research Foundation, 2008.115.278

Untitled

Cy Twombly · 1969-1971 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2008.115.278

Rectangles, scribbles, and smudges loosely cluster to create a band that runs from the bottom left corner to the top right against a parchment-white background in this horizontal, abstract work. The work was created with wax crayons, graphite, and house paint on canvas. Some of the shapes and smudges are royal blue, scarlet red, ochre yellow, or gray. Scribbles that suggest illegible writing fill some of the rectangles or is scrawled elsewhere in the composition. Handwritten numbers in blue, yellow, gray, or pumpkin orange are sprinkled throughout, including 2237, 26, 300, 1200, 28, and “17 x 400” near the upper right; 82, 28, 23, and 18 near the center; and 82, 2014, 300, 24, and 8 near the lower left. The largest number, “16490” is written in tall letters near the lower right corner.
Cy Twombly, Untitled (Bolsena), 1969, oil-based house paint, wax crayon, and graphite on canvas, Gift of the Collectors Committee and Adriana and Robert Mnuchin, 1995.73.1

Untitled (Bolsena)

Cy Twombly · 1969 · oil-based house paint, wax crayon, and graphite on canvas ·  Accession ID  1995.73.1

Cy Twombly, Synopsis of a Battle, 1968, oil-based house paint and waxed crayon on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase with the aid of funds from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, 1977), 2014.136.130

Synopsis of a Battle

Cy Twombly · 1968 · oil-based house paint and waxed crayon on canvas ·  Accession ID  2014.136.130

The image shows five parallel lines of loose, looping scribbles drawn in black on a beige background. The loops create a dynamic visual effect on the textured canvas.
Cy Twombly, Donn Steward, Universal Limited Art Editions, Note II, 1967, etching on orange-buff laid handmade paper, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1976.56.187

Note II

Cy Twombly, Donn Steward, Universal Limited Art Editions · 1967 · etching on orange-buff laid handmade paper ·  Accession ID  1976.56.187

The image shows parallel diagonal lines forming an oblong rectangle at the center of a square piece of paper. These lines create a textured appearance, similar to a ruled notebook page. The paper has unevenly trimmed edges, adding an organic quality to the flat, graphical presentation.
Cy Twombly, Donn Steward, Universal Limited Art Editions, Note I, 1967, etching on orange-buff laid handmade paper, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1976.56.186

Note I

Cy Twombly, Donn Steward, Universal Limited Art Editions · 1967 · etching on orange-buff laid handmade paper ·  Accession ID  1976.56.186

Bibliography

2010

  • Del Roscio, Nicola. Cy Twombly Drawings: Cat. Rais. 8 vols. Munich and New York, 2010-2017.