Cy Twombly Souvenir de L'lle des Saintes 1979 © Courtesy and copyright Cy Twombly Foundation

Biography

Born 1928
Died 2011
Nationality American
Birth place Lexington
Death place Rome

Twombly emerged as an influential artist in the wake of Abstract Expressionism. Born in Lexington, Virginia, he studied art in Boston, New York and the hugely influential Black Mountain College, which had the greatest impact on his artistic development. Just as Pop Art and Minimalism were exploding onto the scene in America, Twombly moved to Rome, where he has remained ever since. Composed of child-like scribbles and graffiti-like use of paint, his work is often described as elusive and to many it seems unfathomable. He references nature, literature, classical history and mythology through poetic, gestural painting and abstracted sculptures. Twombly’s compositions blur the relationship between painting and drawing and emphasise the action of mark making.