Leda and the Swan by Cy Twombly
Untitled by Cy Twombly
Tiznit by Cy Twombly
Academy by Cy Twombly
Note I by Cy Twombly
Nine Discourses on Commodus by Cy Twombly
Souvenir de L’Ile des Saintes by Cy Twombly

Cy Twombly

1928–2011 · American

Twombly's paintings look like someone scribbled on a very expensive canvas. That is roughly what happened. Loops, scratches, drips, smears of white paint over pencil marks, fragments of words and numbers. They look like the back of an envelope or a bathroom wall. They cost millions. The gap between what they look like and what they cost is part of the point.

Key facts

Lived
1928–2011, American
Movement
Works held in
23 museums[1]

Biography

He grew up in Lexington, Virginia, and studied at Black Mountain College alongside Robert Rauschenberg, under the influence of Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell. He then did something unusual for an American artist of his generation: he moved to Rome in 1957 and stayed for the rest of his life. Italy gave him his subject. The classical world, its mythology, its poetry, its ruins, filtered through a handwriting that looked entirely contemporary.

The paintings have titles from Homer, Virgil, and Keats. Fifty Days at Iliam is a ten-part cycle based on the Iliad. The Bacchus paintings are violent slashes of red on white. The late rose paintings, the Peony Blossom series, are loose blooms of red and pink dripping down the canvas. He said he painted 'to find out what it is I am doing,' which is either evasive or exactly right.

He died in Rome in 2011, at eighty-three. His work divides people more cleanly than almost any other modern painter. Those who love it find in the marks a physical record of thought happening in real time. Those who do not see scribbles.

Timeline

  1. 1963Painted "Nine Discourses on Commodus, , Part VII" aged 35.
  2. 1963Painted "Nine Discourses on Commodus, Part VIII" aged 35.
  3. 1978Painted "Fifty Days at Iliam. Shades of Achilles, Patroclus, and Hector" aged 50.
  4. 1978Painted "Fifty Days at Iliam. The Fire that Consumes All before It" aged 50.
  5. 2007Painted "Untitled, (Blooming, A Scattering of Blossoms & Other Things)" aged 79.

Notable Works

Tap to view larger.

Where to See Cy Twombly

4 museums worldwide.

Plan your visit →

  • Museum of Modern Art

    Midtown Manhattan, United States

    6 works
    Museum detailsMap

  • National Gallery of Art

    Washington, D.C., United States

    7 works
    Museum detailsMap

  • Tate

    Tate Britain, United Kingdom

    5 works
    Museum details

  • Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

    Abando, Spain

    1 works
    Museum detailsMap

Related Artists

Jasper Johns

Jasper Johns

1930–present · American

Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer

1945–present · German

Georg Baselitz

Georg Baselitz

1938–present · German

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

1928–1987 · American

Chuck Close

Chuck Close

1940–2021 · American

Yves Klein

Yves Klein

1928–1962 · French

Plan your visit to see Cy Twombly →

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is cy twombly known for?
    Cy Twombly is known for paintings that look like scribbles on expensive canvases, featuring loops, scratches, drips, and smears. His works often include fragments of words and numbers, resembling the back of an envelope or a bathroom wall.
  • When did cy twombly die?
    Cy Twombly died in 2011 at the age of 83.
  • Where did cy twombly live?
    Cy Twombly lived in Rome from 1957 until his death.
  • Where to see cy twombly?
    Cy Twombly's works can be seen at Bavarian State Painting Collections, National Gallery of Art[4], Museum of Modern Art[6], and 2 other museums worldwide.
  • Why did cy twombly scribble?
    Cy Twombly's paintings feature scribbles and scratches in crayon, pencil, and paint on white canvases. The loose style allows forms and images to emerge in the imagination, and the system of lines has its own meaning.
  • Why is cy twombly important?
    Cy Twombly's work is important because some find in his marks a physical record of thought happening in real time.
  • Is cy twombly alive?
    No, Cy Twombly died in 2011.
  • When was cy twombly born?
    Cy Twombly was born in 1928 in United States. Cy Twombly died in 2011, aged 83.
  • Why is cy twombly art so expensive?
    The gap between what Cy Twombly's paintings look like and what they cost is part of the point, but the passages do not explain why they are so expensive.
  • Who was cy twombly?
    Cy Twombly was an American painter who studied at Black Mountain College and later moved to Rome. He is known for his paintings featuring scribbles and scratches.

Sources

Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Cy Twombly.

  1. [1] museum Buffalo AKG Art Museum Used for: museum holdings.
  2. [2] museum National Gallery of Kosovo Used for: museum holdings.
  3. [3] museum Whitney Museum of American Art Used for: museum holdings.
  4. [4] museum National Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
  5. [5] museum Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía Used for: museum holdings.
  6. [6] museum Museum of Modern Art Used for: museum holdings.
  7. [7] book Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author, Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author - The Art Book_ New Edition, Mini Format Used for: biography.
  8. [8] book guggenheim-berriarei00bilb Used for: biography.
  9. [9] book guggenheim-museum00solo Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

Editorial standardsMethodologyCorrectionsAI disclosureAbout the editorial teamCitation ledger

Back to Discover