PRESS RELEASE | NEW YORK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE|21 MARCH2017
CHRISTIE’S TO OFFER CY TWOMBLY’S
GREAT CLANDESTINE MASTERPIECE:
LEDA AND THE SWAN, 1962
Cy Twombly, Leda and the Swan, 1962, oil, lead pencil and wax crayon on canvas
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Hasn’t been seen publically in nearly 30 years
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Never been offered at auction before now
Leda and the Swan’s sister painting is on view at MoMA within their permanent collection
New York – Christie’s is honored to offer Cy Twombly’s Leda and the Swan, 1962 as a highlight of its May
17 Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale. This unequivocal tour de force has resided within a private
collection for over 25 years and has not been seen publicly in all that time. One of two large format
masterpieces to emerge from this unbridled subject, Leda and the Swan’s heroic sister painting of the same
title is among the most popular works on view within the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. Never before at auction, the painting has only had two private owners and is completely fresh
to the market (estimate $35-55million).
Koji Inoue, International Director, Post-War and Contemporary Art, remarked: “Hidden from public view
for over 25 years, we are thrilled to present one of Cy Twombly’s absolute masterpieces in Leda and the
Swan, 1962. This is a remarkable painting that has been pursued by collectors for decades. Impregnated with
paint passionately and poetically applied with the hand, brush and stick, Leda and the Swan, is one of the
most vital canvases created during this transformative period in the artist’s career. Given its tremendous
importance within the context of both Twombly’s oeuvre, and the canon of Post-War art, we are honored to
have the opportunity to offer this work to the market after nearly thirty clandestine years. This is also a
particularly exciting time for the Twombly market, given its overlap with the Centre Pompidou’s
groundbreaking retrospective of the artist’s expansive career.”
With its vigorous application of paint and affectionate use of the hand, Leda and the Swan is an apex example
of the artist’s fusing of myth, eroticism and history. Revisiting the story of Leda’s seduction by the Greek god
Zeus, or his Roman counterpart, Jupiter, in the form of a swan*, Twombly’s adaptation of this classical story
inspired an increasingly baroque tendency that emerged in his work during the early 1960s, dramatically
enriching the strongly tactile and sensual nature of his art. Throughout these paintings from the early 1960s,
the artist not only arrives at, but fully executes some of the most empowering themes found throughout his
oeuvre.
Leda and the Swan is part of a cycle of works that resulted from the explosive and highly physical release of
passion, seduction and visceral energy that had defined Twombly’s Ferragosto paintings, which were
executed throughout the hot summer months of 1961. Demonstrating this new, distinctly Baroque mix of
eroticism and violence, Leda and the Swan exemplifies the “blood and foam” style that dominated the artist’s
work until 1966.
The myth of “Leda and the Swan” is among dramatic and tumultuous themes in Twombly’s work of the early
1960s. A magnum opus of the artist’s oeuvre, Leda and the Swan fully articulates Twombly’s desire to defeat
tradition even as he engaged with it. Immersing himself in ancient Greek and Roman literature, Twombly
demonstrates the breadth of the artist’s cultural immersion in his Mediterranean surroundings.
* Note to Editors
Synopsis of “Leda and the Swan”: The daughter of the King of Aetolia and wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta, Leda
was greatly admired by Zeus. One day, in the guise of a swan, Zeus, came down from the heavens to save Leda from
an eagle attack. That night, having previously been with her husband, Zeus—still in the guise of a swan—seduced and
raped Leda. As the story goes, from two eggs, two sets of twins were born: Helen and Pollox, and Castor and
Clytemnestra. It is, of course, from these famous children that many of the great stories of ancient Greek that survive
today were born.
The auction record for Cy Twombly was set by Untitled (New York City), oil based house paint and wax crayon on canvas,
1968, which realized $70,530,000 in November 2015.
PRESS CONTACT: Rebecca Riegelhaupt | 212-636-2680 | [email protected]
Auction:
Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale
May 17, 2017
About Christie’s
Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction, private and digital sales in 2016 that totalled £4 billion / $5.4 billion.
Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour.
Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery,
photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful
history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern,
Old Masters and Jewellery.
Christie’s has a global presence in 46 countries, with 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva,
Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable fees.
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Images available on request
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