Art News – July 6, 2011

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The Rose (III), 2008 © Cy Twombly

– RIP Cy Twombly (April 25, 1928 – July 5, 2011): The American Abstract painter, known for his large-scale, freely scribbled, calligraphic-style graffiti paintings, died Tuesday in Rome. He was 83. In the only written statement Twombly ever made about his work, he said that each line he made was “the actual experience” of making the line, adding: “It does not illustrate. It is the sensation of its own realization.” {via NYTimes}

– On this day in art history: Mexican Surrealist painter Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was born. Kahlo, the wife of famed artist Diego Rivera, once explained, “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”

– Now on view: Through October 23, 2011, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum presents For the First Time: Rembrandt and Degas, Two Young Artists. The exhibition is the first devoted to Rembrandt’s influence on French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917). (More: Visit the Park West Gallery Rembrandt website to learn all about the artist and view our unique collection.) {via Rijksmuseum}