Explore the artist’s sustained engagement with antiquity. CyTwombly: Making Past Present brings together more than 60 works by Twombly with ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near Eastern art from the MFA’s and the artist's own collection



Cy Twombly's first visit to Italy as a young man ignited a lifelong passion for classical culture that is everywhere present in his art. Painted canvases, works on paper, and small-scale sculptures reveal the historical soul of Twombly's abstract compositions. Taking on myths and heroes as personal guides, he created a psychologically complex dialogue with the visual and literary art of antiquity.

This sumptuously illustrated publication reproduces a carefully chosen selection of the artist's paintings, drawings, and sculptures alongside works of classical antiquity, including a number from his personal collection. Illuminating essays by leading scholars explore the often enigmatic engagement of Twombly's art with the world of the past.