Cy Twombly in Rome (1957-1968)

US-American Painting in Post-War Italy

This project examines the geographical, cultural, and historical polarity between the work of Cy Twombly executed in the United States and in Europe, from the period of 1957 to 1968. The American artist’s migration to Rome in 1957 calls into question a familiar art historical narrative, one which assumes that the displacement of late modernism’s centre was due to its transfer from Europe to the United States at the time. Twombly’s move to the Italian capital contradicts this widely held assumption, as he returned to the origins of European and Mediterranean culture, using this as a source for his artistic expression. The project will examine Twombly’s paintings within their political, economic, and ideological context with the aim of making visible the transition of his artistic style between these two major cultural centres, against the backdrop of the Cold War.