Architecture of Fantasy - Piranesi Exhibition

Aug. 4 [Fri.] ― Aug. 12 [Sat.] 2023 11:00-19:00
Gallery closed Sun., Mon., and national holidays.

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The 18th century Italian architect and printmaker Jean-Baptiste Piranesi (1720-1778)'s “Prison” (original work by Piranesi, 1761; reprint by Bracons-Duplessis, 1961) will be exhibited.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, now remembered as a printmaker, was a Roman architect with very few finished works. However, rather than actual architecture, Piranesi's realistic and fantastic prints (etchings) were spread throughout Europe by travelers who visited Rome, and completely changed the way people in the 18th century viewed ancient Rome and Greece. Piranesi's boundless imagination, depicting prison fantasies and ruined ancient cities, did not materialize as actual architecture, but instead yielded rich results on paper. In particular, the fantasy world of the "Prison" series is a masterpiece that has had a great influence on later literary figures.

■Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Born in Mogliano, Republic of Venice in 1720. Architect, archaeologist, printmaker. Studied architecture, especially perspective and stage decoration, from his father and uncle. In 1740, he went to Rome to learn etching techniques. In 1743, he published a collection of works, Architecture and Perspective. After 1745, he settled in Rome and carved his magnificent architectural plans into copperplate engravings. Although there are only a few buildings that he realized as an architect, such as the "Cathedral of Santa Maria del Priorat", he left over 1,000 copperplate engravings. Died in 1778. His representative prints include "Groteschi", "Roman Landscape", "Prison", "Ancient Rome", and "Roman Ruins".

Movie production: Web Magazine CollaːJ SHIONO Tetsuya

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