Cy Twombly
American·1928–2011
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Cy Twombly (1928-2011) was an American painter, sculptor, and photographer whose scrawled, graffiti-like canvases became some of the most distinctive works in postwar art. Born Edwin Parker Twombly Jr. in Lexington, Virginia, he studied at Black Mountain College alongside Robert Rauschenberg and later settled in Rome, where he lived for most of his career.
Twombly's paintings mix loops of crayon, smeared paint, pencil marks, and scribbled words drawn from classical mythology and poetry. His large cycle paintings, referencing Homer, Virgil, and the Trojan War, hang in major museums worldwide. Our collection includes works at institutions like MoMA.
Notable Works by Cy Twombly
2 paintings catalogued with museum locations
Museums with Cy Twombly's Work
1 museum displays Twombly's works. Click any museum to see visiting info and the specific works they hold.
About Cy Twombly
Twombly's work features gestural loops, scrawls, and scribbled text on large white canvases. Often compared to graffiti, his paintings draw heavily on classical literature and Mediterranean culture.
The Cy Twombly Gallery at the Menil Collection in Houston is dedicated to his work. Major paintings also hang at MoMA, Tate Modern, and the Museum Brandhorst in Munich.
Twombly moved to Rome in 1957 and spent most of his life there. The classical Mediterranean world, its mythology, poetry, and landscape deeply influenced his art. He found distance from the New York art scene creatively liberating.
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