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Did Cy Twombly use oil paint?
1 Answer

Yes, Cy Twombly did use oil paint, although his method was quite unique. He would run his fingers in the paint to create channels, and would then use oil paint in ‘globs’. House paint overtop would then merge the paints into a completed piece. Shop a selection of Cy Twombly’s pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
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Shop for Cy Twombly Art on 1stDibs
Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics - by Cy Twombly - 1984
By Cy Twombly
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled, Sarayevo Winter Olympic Games 1984, is an etching with aquatint and lithograph in colors realized by Cy Twombly on the occasion of the Winter Olympics Games 1984 in Sarajev...
Category
1980s Contemporary Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint, Lithograph
Allusions, Bay of Naples (from the collection of Donald Baechler) Signed/N print
By Cy Twombly
Located in New York, NY
Cy Twombly
Allusions, Bay of Naples (from the collection of Donald Baechler), 1975
Color offset lithograph and photo lithograph on wove paper
Signed and numbered 56/80 in ink on the ...
Category
1970s Realist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
"Earle and Carolyn Brown at the Stevenson's in Brewster" Cy Twombly
By Cy Twombly
Located in New York, NY
Cy Twombly
Earle and Carolyn Brown at the Stevenson's in Brewster, 1955
Identified and inscribed on the reverse by the sitter Carolyn Brown
Photograph on paper
8 x 8 inches
Provenance
Gift of the artist
Estate of Carolyn Brown, New York 2025.
Cy Twombly gained fame for his art that combined cultural, historical, and poetic elements—particularly those from classical antiquity—with abstract shapes and his distinctive script. Born Edwin Parker Twombly, Jr. on April 25, 1928, in Lexington, Virginia, he began his artistic journey under the guidance of Pierre Daura and Marion Junkin at Washington and Lee University. This initial training was complemented by his formative experiences at the Arts Students League of New York and Black Mountain College, where he established enduring friendships with influential figures like Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham.
A pivotal moment for Twombly was his 1952 trip to Italy and North Africa with Rauschenberg, funded by a grant from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This journey allowed Twombly to engage deeply with the rich cultural history that would inform his future artistic endeavors, leading to the creation of significant early pieces.
Twombly made his way back to Italy in 1957 and 1958, during which he presented his first solo exhibition in Italy at Galleria La Tartaruga, owned by Plinio De Martiis. In 1959, he married Luisa Tatiana...
Category
1950s Modern Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
No. I, from Natural History, Part I, Mushroom (Bastian 42), 1974, Lithograph
By Cy Twombly
Located in Bristol, GB
Collotype in colours with collage and hand-colouring
Edition 24 of 98
75.8 x 55.8 cm (29.8 x 22 in)
Signed with initials and numbered on the front
Condition upon request
Published by...
Category
1970s Contemporary Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics - by Cy Twombly - 1984
By Cy Twombly
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled, Sarayevo Winter Olympic Games 1984, is an etching with aquatint and lithograph in colors realized by Cy Twombly on the occasion of the Winter Olympics Games 1984 in Sarajev...
Category
1980s Contemporary Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint, Lithograph
Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics - by Cy Twombly - 1984
By Cy Twombly
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled, Sarayevo Winter Olympic Games 1984, is an etching with aquatint and lithograph in colors realized by Cy Twombly on the occasion of the Winter Olympics Games 1984 in Sarajev...
Category
1980s Contemporary Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint, Lithograph