Cy Twombly's Dual Exhibitions at Gagosian Explore War, Myth, and the Erotic Tension Between Image and Text
From March 8, 2018, Gagosian Gallery in New York hosted two exhibitions featuring the artwork of Cy Twombly. At 980 Madison Avenue, 'Coronation of Sesostris' displayed his 10-part painting created in 2000, remaining open until April 28. Meanwhile, 'In Beauty It Is Finished: Drawings 1951-2008' concluded on April 25 at 522 West 21st Street. The Sesostris series intertwines themes of war and mythology, showcasing emotional depth and Eros references. The drawing exhibition, covering works from 1951 to 2008, highlighted early German Expressionist influences alongside later pieces depicting sublimated landscapes. Twombly's blend of poetry with visual art confronted Minimalism and Pop Art, exemplified by works like 'Untitled (To Sappho)', 1976, which delved into loss and queer themes.
Key facts
- Two Cy Twombly exhibitions ran concurrently at Gagosian Gallery in New York from March 8, 2018
- 'Coronation of Sesostris' featured a 10-part painting from 2000, inspired by war and the pharaoh Sesostris
- The drawing survey 'In Beauty It Is Finished' covered works from 1951 to 2008, a first career-spanning show
- Twombly used fragments from Sappho referencing Eros as weaver of myth, linking love and war
- His handwriting, cultivated in the early 1950s, often obscures text with painterly marks
- The exhibitions highlighted Twombly's integration of poetry and image against trends like Minimalism
- White in his work symbolizes intellect, Mediterranean light, and memory through erasure
- Twombly lived mostly in Italy, incorporating classicism while engaging with American art movements
Entities
Artists
- Cy Twombly
- Joan Miró
- Franz Kline
- Anne Carson
- Patricia Waters
- Keats
- Rilke
- Sappho
- Catullus
- Taigi
- Clement Greenberg
- Theodor Adorno
- Herodotus
- Beethoven
- Nietzsche
- Mary Jacobus
- Apollo
- Hyacinth
- Aphrodite
- Ares
- Ra
- Zeno
Institutions
- Gagosian Gallery
- artcritical
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Italy
- Mediterranean
- Madison Avenue
- West 21st Street
- New York