Piranesi drawings
visions of antiquity
Past exhibition
20 February 2020 – 10 January 2021
Sign up to our emails and be the first to hear about upcoming exhibitions and events.
Browse past exhibition catalogues, books and gifts, available in the British Museum Shop.
This landmark display explored the drawings of Neoclassicist printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
Celebrating the 300th anniversary of Piranesi's birth in 1720, this display presented the Museum's complete collection of his drawings – unique in being entirely by the master himself.
From his grand depictions of ancient Rome, to his recordings of the newly-discovered ruins of Pompeii, Piranesi's fantastical drawings are compelling.
Born in Venice and raised in Rome, Piranesi is best known for highly-charged, atmospheric representations of antiquity in his etchings. His work as a printmaker, whether exploring Roman architecture or displaying flights of spatial fancy in the celebrated Carceri ('Prisons') series, has been the subject of numerous exhibitions. His work as a draughtsman, however, is much less explored – yet his drawing underpinned and nourished his flair with the etching needle.
The display also considers fascinating questions about his practice raised by new research: the relationship between drawings and prints, his evolving style as a draughtsman and the involvement of studio hands in his later works.
Explore the formidable quality of his pen and chalk studies and track his evolution as an artist at this stunning new display.
