Published on the occasion of the exhibition Cy Twombly: Sensations of the Moment at Museum Moderner Kunsts Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, June 4-October 11, 2009, curated by Achim Hochdörfer.
Description from the Publisher
The American artist Cy Twombly (born in 1928) is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Starting off from abstract expressionism he developed his own original style using writing-like signs which he exaggerated in size into monumental, large-format canvases. The presentation in the mumok—the first in Austria—brought together works from all periods of his oeuvre and presented a new cycle of works specially created for the show.
In Twombly’s pictures and sculptures the ancient myths of the Mediterranean world are evoked though it is the incidental and underlying that is the focal point. The alternation between sensitivity and vulgarity, filigree technique and expressivity constitute the enormous tension in the works. The exhibition, presented as a retrospective, brought together genres that, up till then, had generally been shown separately—sculpture, painting, drawing, graphic works, and photographs.
Cy Twombly. States of Mind. Edited by Achim Hochdörfer. Foreword by: Edelbert Köb. Texts by: Johanna Burton, Peter Geimer, Achim Hochdörfer, Gregor Stemmrich. Essays: Tacita Dean, Jeff Wall, Franz West. Schirmer/Mosel 2009. 324 pages, 278 color illustrations. German / English edition.