Foreword

Only at GW is a slogan frequently repeated at The George Washington University to remind members of the community of the opportunities made possible to students and faculty alike in the heart of our nation’s capital. In the summer of 2024, one such opportunity came to fruition at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, home to The George Washington University’s art collection. It began with Dr. Rachel Pollack’s summer writing course Discovering the Romans: Then and Now. Dr. Pollack had noted that The George Washington University Collection held fifteen etchings of ancient Rome by the renowned eighteenth-century artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi. A class field trip to the Brady Art Gallery seemed an excellent way to introduce ancient Rome–Then and Now to her students. Featuring a treasure trove of art, this class visit was an Only at GW type of experience. The majority of these Piranesi prints in the university’s collection were transferred to GW from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 2014. During this class session, Dr. Pollack met with Olivia Kohler-Maga, the Assistant Director of the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, and remarked in passing, “These etchings would make a wonderful exhibition.” Within a few days, Olivia Kohler-Maga agreed.

The exhibition Piranesi’s Rome: Views of the Eternal City was on view at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery from September 20th to December 7th, 2024. A total of twenty masterful impressions by Piranesi from the GW Collection were exhibited in addition to a selection of rare book materials from GW’s Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) related to the ancient Roman world. Dr. Pollack recruited thirty two GW students and recent alumni to assist in the project, which culminated in this printed exhibition catalogue and permanent exhibition website made possible through the guidance of Olivia Kohler-Maga, the generous support of GW Art History Program’s Ebling Fund, and other donors. The exhibition inspired a Pop-Up show (October 9th to 26th, 2024) in an adjoining gallery of the historic Corcoran Flagg Building, featuring artwork from GW faculty, students, and alumni. A variety of works were on display, including oil paintings, watercolors, architectural drawings, and a Roman-inspired mosaic, among others. Each piece was influenced either by Roman art and architecture or directly by Piranesi’s works.

The support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. provided a surprising opportunity for this GW exhibition. It is with gratitude to Elettra La Duca and Michele Giacalone that members of the exhibition catalogue’s editorial team were invited to present their research and contributions to Piranesi’s Rome at the Italian Embassy on December 2nd, 2024. This closing event featured a conversation with eminent scholar Jonathan Bober, former Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Art. The research presented by members of the catalogue’s editorial team is preserved on the exhibition’s permanent website. The support of contributing editors Fiona Stokes, Grace Suter, John Fine, Nikolas Diakolios, and Cristian Abarca were crucial to this exhibition catalogue. We are greatly honored that the Italian Cultural Institute is supporting a second exhibition venue for Piranesi’s Rome at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., March 20th to May 22nd, 2025.

Rachel Pollack