“His conduct is mischievous”: Piranesi and Soane

Sir John Soane, although an admirer of the graphic works of Piranesi, remarked that his “conduct is mischievous” in his only built work (Santa Maria del Priorato). Similar sentiments have been expressed about Soane, particularly in regard to his own House-Museum. Mark Rakatansky, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, will explore the complex relationship of these two architects and the unsettling “mischievous” engagements of their architecture, drawings and writings. This lecture is cosponsored by Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.