On 5 July the celebrated American artist Cy Twombly died at the age of 83. His passing has ended one of the most distinguished artistic careers of the past 50 years. He was a key figure in the development of post-war American abstract art and a contemporary of artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.
Much inspired by Classical art, throughout his career Twombly translated his passion for Arcadian culture into intense, abstract expressions in paint, drawing and sculpture; creating a sometimes inscrutable world of iconography, metaphor, and myth.
It is fitting, then, as a tribute to the late artist, that the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London is currently the host of a major, unique exhibition of Twombly’s works displayed side-by-side the paintings of 17th century Classical master Nicolas Poussin. Twombly and Poussin: Arcadian Painters runs until 25 September 2011.
Later in his career Twombly experimented with photography, which for many years has been a little-known aspect of his oeuvre. Cy Twombly: Photographs, Prints and Works on Paper from the Grosshaus Collection is a new exhibition catalogue that, for the first time, presents a selection of the artist’s photographs alongside numerous collages and drawings. It was produced in quite a limited print-run and so although it has only recently been published, it is already quite collectable. See the link below for more details about this lovely catalogue…