- Cy Twombly (b. 1928)
Curated by Donald Ryan and Sabine Schiffer
Cy Twombly—Reiner Speck: Fragments of an Adoration, is an exhibition of works by the American artist Cy Twombly (1928–2011), alongside letters from the artist, signed publications, exhibition ephemera, and rare books, all from the renowned collections of Dr. Reiner Speck.
The exhibition traces the genesis of Twombly and Speck’s relationship, beginning with a meeting in Rome around 1970, when Speck, a young collector at the time, approached Twombly in Rome to sign an unsigned work that he had acquired from a Cologne gallery. This interaction marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Over the following decades the men remained in close dialogue through Speck’s visits to Twombly’s homes and studios in Italy, attending the artist’s exhibitions, and maintaining an intimate correspondence.
A selection of letters from Twombly to Speck is the foundation of this project. For Speck, the thrill of collecting lies in interrogating the ways that art, reading, and writing influence one another; these letters are a personal manifestation of this interest. In placing these letters alongside the ephemera and artworks they discuss, this exhibition and its publication strive to materialize these conversations and to create a tangible transcript of their relationship.
With their layers of text and imagery, Twombly’s works function as another kind of transcript, merging poetic and painterly elements and creating subtle visual palimpsests. Twombly’s works evoke the literary, mythical, and historical worlds of Western culture and interweave them with his abstract gestures and contemporary reflections. These works reveal Twombly’s artistic depth and highlight the integral role of language and literature to his process—a pursuit that resonates with Speck’s devotion to literature.
Central to the exhibition is the notion of dedication. Twombly’s inscriptions in books, his handwritten letters and emblematic gestures, reflect an intricate web of personal, intellectual, and spiritual connections. The etymological root of “dedication,” Latin, dēdicāre, meaning “to proclaim” or “to consecrate,” echoes through these artifacts and embodies the reciprocal commitment to ideas and friendship between collector and artist.
Cy Twombly (1928–2011) was an American painter, sculptor, and photographer celebrated for his abstract, gestural works that seamlessly blended literary and historical references with innovative visual language. Inspired by ancient myths, poetry, and the European cultural landscape, Twombly’s art bridged the temporal divide between past and present and created a rich interplay of text and image that evokes profound emotional and intellectual resonance.
His work has been exhibited at leading institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Tate Modern, London, and the Louvre, Paris. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and poetic voices of his generation, Twombly’s legacy continues to influence contemporary art and theory.
Dr. Reiner Speck is a distinguished physician, bibliophile, and art collector based in Cologne, Germany. As the chairman of the German Marcel Proust Society, Speck’s dedication to literature—particularly the works of Proust and Petrarch—has been a cornerstone of his collecting. His literary passions expanded naturally into the realm of visual art, and his collection includes rare manuscripts, artist’s books, editions, letters, and significant works by contemporary artists.
Dr. Speck’s approach to collecting emphasizes a deep connection between the collector, the artist, and the artwork. For him, artworks serve as memory objects that preserve moments of encounter and dialogue. His collection also reflects his commitment to exploring the intersections of literature and visual art, where meaning emerges through context and content rather than spectacle. His intellectual rigor and passion for the creative processes of the artists he collects underscores his belief that collecting is a form of active participation in cultural and artistic discourse. Speck’s collection has been exhibited at esteemed institutions worldwide.
