art exhibitions, like the cy twombly exhibition of 94 drawings and works on paper at gagosian gallery in new york, can be more momentous than blockbuster museum exhibitions.
*cy twombly: in beauty it is finished : drawings 1951-2008
8 march-25 april 2018
gagosian | 522 west 21st street | new york, NY
i walked through the exhibition three times. and then, after i left, i decided to return to look at my favorite drawings again…
one wall, featuring five early, atypically polychromatic, crayon, gouache, and pencil drawings.
.jpg "13-17 | Gagosian Quarterly 2")
cy twombly: in beauty it is finished : drawings 1951-2008
installation view | gagosian | 522 west 21st street | new york, NY
photo credit artwork: © cy twombly foundation | screenshot: video by pushpin films via gagosian quarterly
originally, there were six drawings. twombly gifted four of the six drawings to his friend, abstract artist robert rauschenberg (1925-2008). then, rauschenberg adhered one of the drawings to one of his combines.
.jpg "Robert Rauschenberg Rebus 1955 MoMA")
robert rauschenberg (1925-2008) | rhebus | 1955 | oil, synthetic polymer paint, pencil, crayon, pastel, cut-and-pasted printed and painted papers, and fabric on canvas mounted and stapled to fabric, in three panels
museum of modern art (moma) | new york, NY
photo credit (c) 2018 robert rauschenberg foundation via moma
.jpg "twombly|untitled")
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1954 | gouache, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper
cy twombly foundation | new york, NY, rome, italy & gaeta, italy
photo credit (c) cy twombly foundation via gagosian
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1954 | gouache, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper
cy twombly foundation | new york, NY, rome, italy & gaeta, italy
photo credit (c) cy twombly foundation via cy twombly foundation
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1954 | gouache, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper
museum of modern art (moma) | new york, NY
photo credit (c) 2018 cy twombly foundation via moma
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1954 | gouache, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper
museum of modern art (moma) | new york, NY
photo credit (c) 2018 cy twombly foundation via moma
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1954 | gouache, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper
museum of modern art (moma) | new york, NY
photo credit (c) 2018 cy twombly foundation via moma
the five drawings reminded me of pastel drawings by abstract expressionist artist joan mitchell (1925-1992).
joan mitchell (1925-1992) | untitled | 1991 | pastel on paper
sold for US$98,500 | christie’s new york | post war and contemporary morning session | 11 november 2010 | sale 2356 | lot 235
photo credit christie’s
one gallery was filled with calligraphy drawings. not only calligraphic, but also epigraphic.
cy twombly: in beauty it is finished : drawings 1951-2008
installation view | gagosian | 522 west 21st street | new york, NY
photo credit rob mckeever via gagosian
including, one work in 30 parts. and, 4 drawings from a private collection.
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1970 | oil, wax crayon, and pencil on paper, in 30 parts
cy twombly foundation | new york, NY, rome, italy & gaeta, italy
photo credit artwork: © cy twombly foundation | screenshot: video by pushpin films via gagosian quarterly
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1970 | oil and wax crayon on paper
private collection
photo credit (c) cy twombly foundation via gagosian
another gallery was filled with blackboard drawings.
cy twombly: in beauty it is finished : drawings 1951-2008
installation view | gagosian | 522 west 21st street | new york, NY
photo credit rob mckeever via gagosian
layer upon layer of lines, marks, and erasures. made with crayon, pencil, or pen over oil on paper.
cy twombly (1928-2011) | untitled | 1969 | oil and wax crayon on paper
cy twombly foundation | new york, NY, rome, italy & gaeta, italy
photo credit (c) cy twombly foundation via gagosian
‘his work is based not upon concept (the trace)
but rather upon an activity (tracing).’
-french philoopher, roland barthes (1915-1980), who wrote about the work of cy twombly
*exhibited concurrently with cy twombly: coronation of sesostris at gagosian | 980 madison avenue | new york, NY.
click here to read my post about cy twombly: coronation of sesostris.