Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia • August 20, 2010
An exhibition documenting the creation and installation of Cy Twombly's monumental Louvre mural will open in Lykes Atrium, in W&L's Wilson Hall, on Sept. 6 and remain on view through Oct. 8. The show features photographs and narrative text detailing the project.
Barbara Crawford, professor of art at Southern Virginia University, who assisted Twombly with the large-scale painting, organized the exhibition. Crawford will give a public talk about her experience on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in room 2018 of Wilson Hall.
As part of a mission to incorporate more contemporary art into the Louvre's permanent collection, internationally acclaimed artist Cy Twombly was asked to create a painting to cover the ceiling of one of its galleries, the Salle de Bronzes. He enlisted the aid of Lexington, Va., artist and SVU professor Barbara Crawford and her role in the project grew from mixing paint colors to representing Twombly during the creation and installation of the final piece in the Paris museum. Twombly is first artist honored with decorating a Louvre ceiling since Georges Braque in 1953. Born in Lexington, Va., in 1928, Twombly is the son Edwin Parker Twombly, who was a W&L coach and athletic director for 53 years.
Barbara Crawford's paintings have exhibited in over 40 invitational, solo and juried shows, nationally and internationally and can be found in both public and private collections. She has been visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome and a fellow at the Tyrone Guthrie Center for the Arts in Ireland and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She holds a master of fine arts from Vermont College and a master of arts from James Madison University.
Lykes Atrium is located on the second floor of Wilson Hall, in Washington and Lee University's Lenfest Center for the Arts. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 540-458-8861.
