The Cy Twombly Gallery: The Menil Collection, Houston

by Nicola Del Roscio (Editor), Julie Sylvester (Editor), Paul Winkler (Contributor)

A visual celebration of one of the most renowned artists of our time, along with the extraordinary Gallery he helped to create to showcase his work American artist Cy Twombly (1928–2011) created paintings and sculptures that defied conventional classification. In his works, Twombly incorporated a wide variety of elements, from scrawls and calligraphic marks to text from poetry and mythology. Opening in 1995, the Cy Twombly Gallery at the Menil Collection was designed by Renzo Piano and has become a pilgrimage destination for the artist’s avid admirers. The product of close collaboration between the Menil, Twombly, and the Dia Center for the Arts, the Gallery is one of the most extraordinary representations of any single 20th-century artist. Twombly chose the art that would be featured and worked closely with the builders to create the most appropriate venue for its presentation. This sumptuous volume showcases thirty-three paintings and eleven sculptures, including an immense 13 x 52–foot painting. Featuring large-scale, close-up details of many of the works, the book looks at paint, plaster, paintings, sculptures, and the “cues” that Twombly gave in his art about this special collection.

Published in association with the Twombly Foundation and the Menil Collection

Genres: Art

222 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2013

Reviews

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed from a coworker to prepare myself to a visit to this gallery - the book contains beautiful plates, and I can't wait to see the works in galleries 7 and 8 in person, but the book is more about the creation of the gallery and less about why Twombly's work resonates. I think you need that with artists so focused on abstract art.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

His work does not interest me. This book failed to whet my appetite for his work. There was one paragraph that describes his method and how he would paint during caprious moods that was insightful, but otherwise the book was a little dry.