Cy Twombly, the US artist whose graffiti-style paintings on large canvases made him the heir to Jackson Pollock in the eyes of many, has died in hospital in Rome at the age of 83.
After emerging from the New York art scene of the 1950s, he developed a deep association with Mediterranean Europe, drawing inspiration from its history, poetry and ancient myths. As a painter, he was known for abstract works combining painting and drawing techniques, repetitive lines, and use of words and graffiti – but is regarded as a key figure among a generation of artists who strove to evolve beyond abstract expressionism.
Born Edwin Parker Twombly Jr in Lexington, Virginia, in 1928, he took on his father's nickname, Cy. After studies at American art colleges, he came to Europe and travelled extensively. In later years he was also influenced by his service as a cryptologist in the US military.
After spending much of the 1950s in New York, where friends included Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, Twombly left for Italy which was to become a second home. His work was shown at the Venice Biennale in 1964 before he began drifting away from expressionism and embarking on the abstract sculptures so closely associated with him.
Last year, he painted a ceiling of the Louvre in Paris, the first artist given this honour since Georges Braque in the 1950s. For that work he chose something simple: a deep blue background punctuated with floating discs and emblazoned with the names of sculptors from ancient Greece, apt for a gallery of bronzes.
"I got into something new in old age," he said of his unusual choice of colour.
Larry Gagosian, the owner of the Gagosian gallery, which has had close ties with Twombly, said: "The art world has lost a true genius and a completely original talent. And, for those fortunate enough to have known him, a great human being.
"Even though Cy might have been regarded as reclusive, he didn't retreat to an ivory tower. He was happy to remain connected and live in the present. Despite his increasing fame, he never lost the playfulness and sense of humour that was his true nature, and, more importantly, he retained his humility. For me personally, it is an incredibly sad day and my thoughts are with Cy's family and close friends."
France's culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, said: "A great American painter who deeply loved old Europe has just left us. His work was deeply marked by his passion for Greek and Roman antiquity, and its mythology, which for him was a source of limitless inspiration."
Twombly's work sold for millions and ignited the passions of followers. In 2007, a woman was arrested in France for kissing an all-white canvas he painted. Restorers had trouble removing the lipstick and she was ordered to pay compensation.
He had been living in Italy, and entered hospital last week, according to Eric Mezil, director of the Collection Lambert gallery in Avignon, where a show of Twombly's photographs opened last month.
One of his most important exhibitions was at Tate Modern in 2008, featuring Quattro Stagioni (Four Seasons), A Painting in Four Parts, of 1993-94.
"Ah, it goes, is lost," Twombly scrawled in pencil on one of the four tall canvases, in a reflection of some of the themes to which he often returned: time, love, and doomed desire.
