Past Exhibition

Piranesi

The image shows intricate lines and shapes creating elaborate arches and architectural structures. The drawing has a swirling and overlapping design that suggests chaotic motion within a grand structure. The abstract assembly resembles a grand cathedral or a palatial hall, with arches and columns akin to classical architecture. Figures and decorative flourishes are interspersed throughout, resembling statues or ornate carvings typical of an embellished building.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, A Magnificent Palatial Interior, 1748/1752, pen and brown ink with brown wash with graphite over red chalk, touches of black chalk on laid paper, incised, Gift of Gertrude Laughlin Chanler, 2000.9.20

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, Mezzanine, Northeast, Pod I (3,000 sq. ft.)
The image shows intricate lines and shapes creating elaborate arches and architectural structures. The drawing has a swirling and overlapping design that suggests chaotic motion within a grand structure. The abstract assembly resembles a grand cathedral or a palatial hall, with arches and columns akin to classical architecture. Figures and decorative flourishes are interspersed throughout, resembling statues or ornate carvings typical of an embellished building.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, A Magnificent Palatial Interior, 1748/1752, pen and brown ink with brown wash with graphite over red chalk, touches of black chalk on laid paper, incised, Gift of Gertrude Laughlin Chanler, 2000.9.20

Overview: More than 150 prints, books, copper plates, and drawings were selected by Andrew Robison, curator of prints and drawings, to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778).

Organization: Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition and Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Booklet: Giovanni Battista Piranesi: The Early Architectural Fantasies, by Andrew Robison. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1978.

Attendance: 325,000

You may also like

This painting shows a canyon landscape viewed from a high vantage point, with ridges and formations extending into the distance. The horizon is positioned high in the painting, with the light-blue sky featuring soft white clouds. The canyon displays vibrant shades of red, pink, and green, contrasting with shadowed areas in darker shades of blue and gray. In the bottom right corner of the painting, there are some geometric white and blue patterns overlayed on top of the canyon.

Exhibition:  Homelands

A rooster woodcarving and a wooden rocking horse.

Exhibition:  Women and the Index of American Design