Five Greek Poets and a Philosopher

Cy Twombly rose to fame in 1950s New York, with a new, graffiti-like style influenced by the work of surrounding Abstract Expressionists, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell. In 1957, a life-changing move to the city of Rome sparked the creation of Twombly's, now iconic, unique pictorial language. Twombly suddenly found himself enlightened by the city's ancient art, its classical history, mythology and poetry, as well as the desire to record his own lived experience. The current piece is the amalgamation of all he had absorbed: a fusion of the written word and mark making, raw and energetic in style, evidently inspired by ancient mythology and poetry yet true to his graffiti-like roots.

Complete set of seven lithographs with embossment, 1978, on Richard de Bas mould-made paper, initialled and numbered in pencil from the edition of 40 verso, printed by Matthieu Studio, Zurich-Deilsdorf, published by Propylaen Verlag, 65 x 50 cm. (19¾ x 25½ in.)

Catalogue Raisonne: Bastian 67-73.