The Menil Collection Receives Major Gifts of Paintings and Drawings by Cy Twombly from the Cy Twombly Foundation

Honoring the 30th anniversary of the Menil’s Cy Twombly Gallery, gifts of two paintings and 121 drawings recognize the museum as a leading institution for the display and study of Twombly’s art and legacy

Events with Tacita Dean for her new artist’s book, Why Cy, a concert with Meredith Monk, and other special programs complement the anniversary celebration

Rebecca Rabinow, Director, The Menil Collection, announced extremely significant donations of works by a single artist to the museum: two rare early paintings and 121 drawings by Cy Twombly (1928-2011), have all been given by the Cy Twombly Foundation. Underscoring the museum’s importance as an international destination for the study, presentation, and appreciation of Twombly’s work, the gifts celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Menil’s Cy Twombly Gallery. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the freestanding building was inaugurated in February 1995.

Rebecca Rabinow, Director, said, “With these generous gifts from the Cy Twombly Foundation, art lovers near and far will have even more reason to visit the Menil Collection. For thirty years, the Cy Twombly Gallery, with its soft filtered sunlight and classical proportions, has invited visitors to discover the work of one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Inside is a chronological presentation of paintings and sculptures by an artist who beautifully balanced the traditions of modern abstraction with a fascination for history, classical mythology, and poetry. The building and its installations are a testament to the power of inspired collaboration between an artist, architect, and museum. We could not be more grateful to the Foundation for entrusting us with these invaluable works and bringing renewed attention to a cherished space that continues to inspire visitors from around the globe.”

Gift of Paintings: The two gifted paintings, Volubilus, 1953, and Untitled, 1954, have been on long-term loan to the Menil. They are early keystones in the Cy Twombly Gallery’s presentation of five decades of Twombly’s paintings and sculptures, from the formative period of his career in the 1950s to the epic painting made toward the end of his life when he was investigating themes of loss and the passage of time.

Volubilus, titled after the site of an ancient city that the artist visited in present-day Morocco, has arch-like forms drawn in the wet paint that recall Roman-era architecture. During his first visit to Europe, Twombly drew inspiration from ancient Mediterranean history and geography, Greek and Roman mythology, classical literature, and poetry. In this painting, to achieve the patina of age, he mixed dirt or tar into pigment to create what he referred to as “eroded surfaces.”

Untitled, 1954, a cream-colored painting with loose graphite scrawls scratched into the surface, comes from an experimental period. While Twombly was serving in the U.S. Army as a cryptologist, he began drawing in the dark to understand how a gesture could convey emotions. He explained that “the line is the feeling from a soft dreamy thing to something hard, something arid, something lonely, something ending, something beginning.”

Gift of Drawings: The Foundation’s landmark gift of 121 of Twombly’s drawings vastly expands the holdings and transforms the Menil’s ability to exhibit and study this aspect of the artist’s practice, while celebrating the museum’s nearly two decades of investment through the Menil Drawing Institute in elevating the visibility of drawing and its centrality in the lives of artists, as well as its crucial role in modern and contemporary artistic culture.

The gift covers 50 years, from 1954 to 2005, with some of the drawings sharing motifs and themes with paintings in the Menil’s holdings. Taken as a whole, the drawings offer enormous potential for display, teaching, and research. They are characteristic of Twombly’s oeuvre in that they feature a broad range of materials, from graphite to oil paint; techniques such as drawing and collage; and themes that are fundamental to his entire practice, such as classical antiquity, eroticism, and nature. His extensive body of drawing, remarkable for its versatility, sensitivity, and originality, makes him one of the most consequential draftspeople of the 20th century.

Nicola Del Roscio, President of the Cy Twombly Foundation, said, “The Cy Twombly Foundation is pleased to offer these gifts of art to the Menil Collection in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the artist’s eponymous gallery as a “Study Collection,” fostering the scientific research on Cy Twombly’s work and preserving his legacy. Making these key works accessible to scholars, researchers, and the public at a free museum will help achieve the Foundation’s goal of encouraging a deeper and broader appreciation of the artist.”

UPCOMING 30th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS & PROGRAMS:

The Menil Collection will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery beginning in February with special programs about the work and legacy of the artist. To inaugurate the celebration, the Menil hosted a book signing with artist Tacita Dean on February 9. Her book, titled Why Cy, stems from a night she spent alone in the Cy Twombly Gallery in early 2024 and is filled with hypnotic and colorful photographs that she took in response to the gestural and linear exuberance of the paintings on view.

Dean’s exhibition Tacita Dean: Blind Folly, currently on view at the Menil and curated by Michelle White, Senior Curator, features a number of new works inspired by her time in Houston, as well as her friendship with Twombly at the end of his life. This includes a film portrait of Twombly and a series of photographs Dean took of the artist’s studio in Italy.

She will also participate in a conversation with composer Thomas Adès, and Sarah Rothenberg, Artistic Director of DACAMERA, on February 10. Other anniversary events include a special two-night performance by Meredith Monk and her vocal ensemble; talks with scholars, conservators, and curators; and a Neighborhood Community Day.

A Conversation with Composer Thomas Adès; Visual Artist Tacita Dean; and Sarah Rothenberg, Artistic Director of DACAMERA
Copresented with DACAMERA
Monday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.

Concert–Meredith Monk with Katie Geissinger and Allison Sniffin in Concert
Thursday, February 27, 7 p.m.
Friday, February 28, 7 p.m.

Lecture–Carol Mancusi-Ungaro on Cy Twombly
Thursday, March 13, 7 p.m.

Lecture–Cy Twombly: Senses of Time
Charles “Mark” Haxthausen, Robert Sterling Clark Professor of Art History Emeritus, Williams College and Menil Drawing Institute Research Fellow
Thursday, March 27, 7 p.m.

Neighborhood Community Day
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 1 p.m.

Curator Talk Michelle White on Cy Twombly
Sunday, April 13, 2025, 3 p.m.

MORE INFORMATION:

Visit http://www.menil.org. Featured photo: Lauren Marek