Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Frontispiece, with Statue of Minerva
THACHER GALLERY

Piranesi’s Rome and the Classical Imaginary

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Frontispiece: Fantasy of Ruins with a Statue of Minerva (detail), from the Vedute di Roma, etching, c. 1748. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

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Dec 4, 2025 - Feb 15, 2026

These 22 etchings showcase the extraordinary vision and technical mastery of one of 18th-century Europe’s most important printmakers: Italian architect and artist, Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1776). Reimagining ancient Rome for a new age increasingly captivated by a romantic idea of the past, Piranesi produced thousands of designs of the Eternal City that weave firsthand observation and architectural documentation with artistic creativity and historical fantasy. Over time, Piranesi’s idiosyncratic visions came to represent the modern city of Rome, promoting his idealized view of antiquity across Europe and beyond. Today, his prints continue to pique the historical imagination, offering tangible glimpses into an imagined, fragmentary past.


The exhibition features works from the collections of the Donohue Rare Book Room at USF and the Mills College Art Museum at Northeastern University, Oakland. 

About Piranesi


Piranesi considered himself first and foremost an architect and designer. Born near Venice, he first moved to Rome in 1740, returning permanently in 1747. After working in theatrical set design, he pursued an architectural career that introduced him to Rome’s flourishing publishing industry. Following an apprenticeship with architect and printmaker Giuseppe Vasi (1710-1782), Piranesi went on to produce more than a thousand printed designs: some included in illustrated volumes like his Antichità Romane (Roman Antiquities) published in 1756. Drawn to Rome by the city’s rich history and evocative ruins, Piranesi engaged the temporal layers of the city—merging past and present—through his iconic city views, ancient fragments, classically-inspired architectural plans, and imagined scenes that both reflect and move beyond the bounds of 18th-century rationalism. 

Curators


Collaboratively curated by students in USF’s M.A. in Museum Studies program:
Nicki Aquino, Xiaolu Cai, Isabella Decker, Jason Escobedo, Brianna Fernandez, Mikhael Ganesh, Madison Griggs, Persephone Musni, Dayeon Oh, Camille Prentiss, Melanie Roller, May Wu, and led by Professor Kate Lusheck

Colosseum
Piranesi Piazza
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Frontispiece, with Statue of Minerva
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, View of Flavian Amphitheater, called the Colosseum (detail), from the Vedute di Roma, etching, 1776. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, View of the Large Piazza and the Basilica of St. Peter’s (detail), from the Vedute di Roma, etching, 1772. Yale University Art Gallery.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Frontispiece: Fantasy of Ruins with a Statue of Minerva (detail), from the Vedute di Roma, etching, c. 1748. Metropolitan Museum of Art.