Cy Twombly, the Ceiling Un Plafond Pour Le Louvre

"An immense blue sky speckled with floating spheres and inscribed with the names of illustrious Greek sculptors now decorates the ceiling of the Salle des bronzes Antiques, the prestigious "Great Hall' situated in the oldest part of the palace. Today, over a thousand bronzes and nearly a hundred pieces of jewelry are housed in this room, attesting to the splendour of the Greek, Italic and Roman cultures that flourished from the ninth century BC to the sixth century AD. Cy Twombly is the third contemporary artist, after Anselm Kiefer and Francois Morellet, to be commissioned for an installation at the Louvre. This ceiling, a monumental work covering over 400 m2, is the astonishing result of a novel approach taken by the artist. Known for the energetic scrawls on his writing-paintings or for his vivid splashes of color, Cy Twombly chose to adapt himself to, rather than impose himself on, the space, remaining faithful to the zen qualities of detachment, lightness and permanence that permeate his work."--BACK COVER.