A body of black-and-white photographs inspired by Cy Twombly and his studio are on display at Gagosian, New York. Taken by renowned American Photographer Sally Mann between 1999 and 2012, this collection of images records in fleeting impressions the working habitat of the late artist, her close friend and mentor. Recognised for her pictures of intimate and familiar subjects, such as her own children, family, the landscape and mortality, Mann reflects upon her personal connection with Twombly, both of whom are natives of Virginia.

Through Mann’s images, and the warm light of the region, the everyday objects in Twombly’s studio reveal themselves as evidence of an imaginative and cultivated life lived and marked by tactility. They also remark upon the abundance of his modus operandi – in Simon Schama’s words, “the leftovers, smears, and stains, and an absence turned into a presence.”

In images such as Remembered Light, Untitled (Angled Light) (1999–2000), the unremarkable passage of time is evoked, as well as the quietude that surrounded Twombly’s creative existence. With Remembered Light, Untitled (Squat White Sculpture and Paint Edges) (2012), Mann indicates the haptic processes leading to the creation of one of his sculptures.

A fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by Schama, and a conversation between Mann and Edmund de Waal, has been published by Abrams to accompany the exhibition. The publication Sally Mann, Remembered Light: Cy Twombly in Lexington, is reviewed in Aesthetica Issue 72 from August/ September 2016.

Sally Mann, Remembered Light: Cy Twombly in Lexington, Gagosian, New York.

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Credits
1. Sally Mann, Remembered Light, Untitled (Flamingo and Blinds), 2012. Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 inches (40.6 × 50.8 cm). © Sally Mann.