The Exhibition
Trained as an architect in his native Venice, Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) was a protagonist in European culture as it transitioned from the Rococo into the Enlightenment and the modern world. Today he is best known as a prolific printmaker who documented the Rome of both classical antiquity and his own time, but the scope of his work and influence extends much further.
The exhibition draws from collections at the Museum and Special Collections and Archives at Middlebury College and is augmented with works borrowed from the Yale University Art Gallery, the Morgan Library and Museum, Agnew’s Gallery, and a private collection.
Unless otherwise noted, all works are by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Most of the wall texts and labels were researched and written by Middlebury students in the January 2025 Winter Term seminar, “HARC 0279—Curatorial Lab: Piranesi, Artist, Architect, and Archaeologist”: Nick Anderson, Maya Dolan, Kyra Dybas, William Dyer, Jude Kuykendall, Sofia Marcktell, Elsa Marrrian, Tyler Martinelli, Farren Stainton, and Ariana Troutman.
Special thanks go to the Middlebury College Museum of Art staff and to the lenders, both institutional and private.
Pieter Broucke
Associate Curator
Professor of History of Art and Architecture
Sections
Exhibit Installation Views
While the exhibit is no longer on view at the Museum, you can still get a sense of how it was displayed through this selection of installation photos. All photos in this section are courtesy of and copyright Jonathan Blake, Vermont. Click or tap each image to enlarge.
