Cy Twombly’s Things

Long considered one of the great American painters of the postwar period, Cy Twombly (1928–2011) now deserves consideration as an equally accomplished sculptor. Nesin, associate curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, examines the full progression and breadth of Twombly’s sculpture, beginning with his earliest assemblage through his hiatus from the form and up to the final castings and pieces he finished. Throughout, Nesin proves an erudite critic and historian. Though her focus is not primarily biographical, she shows how Twombly’s sculptures were quite personal. Nesin analyzes the “materiality and physicality” of the sculptures, including issues of “poeticity,” “memorial affect,” and “processes of replication and self-review.” Most of the sculptures and assemblages are simple, and usually covered in white paint. Photographic representations, though “haunting,” do not do them justice, though the book’s photos tidily illustrate Nesin’s commentary. Few of Twombly’s sculptures have titles, but some of those that do, like his Thicket series, receive serious treatment, explication, and placement in the oeuvre. Twombly created no sculptures between 1959 and 1976, and Nesin deftly plumbs this period for context in explaining his motivations and materiality. With this deeper understanding of Twombly’s sculptures and casts, his place in the pantheon of “artists’ artists” grows more secure. 50 color and 50 b&w illus. (June)