Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Magnificent Piranesi
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Getty Villa (Malibu, CA)
December 6, 2007– March 10, 2008
Title: The Pier with a Lamp, ca. 1749
Artist: Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian 1720–1778)
Medium: Etching, Engraving, Sulphur Tint, Burnishing
2006.PR.37
Acquired with the assistance of Dr. Richard A. Simms
Image Courtesy: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Architect, designer of books, printmaker, and publisher barely begin to describe Giovanni Battista Piranesi. His print-making was
prolific, providing insight into ancient Rome.
Title: Double Page Title Spread, 1761
Artist: Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian 1720–1778)
Medium: Engraving
Image Courtesy: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Born in the Republic of Venice Piranesi, a mason's son, studied with Giuseppe Vasi in Rome, learning etching and engraving. He became well-known
for his creation of a large series of vedute (cityscapes) of Rome. He always considered himself first and foremost as an architect. Only
one structure was ever completed to his designs, the San Maria del Priorato church in Rome.
Piranesi's renditions of antiquities didn't always hone themselves in reality. He was fanciful to the extent
that those who first learned of Rome from his vedutes, such as Goethe, were disappointed when they viewed the actual city for themselves.
Title: Teatro di Marcello, ca. 1749-1750
Artist: Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian 1720–1778)
Medium: Etching
2004.PR.60
Image Courtesy: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Piranesi's Carceri d'Invenzione or Imaginary Prisons series are considered to be his most dramatic works taking his
talent for utilizing affects of scale and light to infuse buildings with grandeur.
Title: Veduta di Piazza Navona sopra le rovine del circo agonale, 1746?-1748?
Artist: Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian 1720–1778)
Medium: Etching
2004.PR.59
Image Courtesy: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
The Getty Research Institute has organized this exhibition to celebrate the talented artist called The Magnificent Piranesi.
The Magnificent Piranesi
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa (Malibu, CA):
December 6, 2007– March 10, 2008
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