Pergolesi | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Previously On View: October 1, 2022 through January 29, 2023

Mr. Pergolesi’s Curious Things: Ornament in 18th-Century Britain showcases fanciful drawings and prints by Michel Angelo Pergolesi (died 1801), an Italian-born artist whose professional specialty, in his words, was “the ornaments of the ancients.”

In the early 1760s, Pergolesi moved to London, England, where he helped popularize a neoclassical style that employed ornament inspired by artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome. Brilliantly hued watercolors from Cooper Hewitt’s collection highlight Pergolesi’s skill in transforming ancient relics—what he called “curious Things”—into lighthearted decorative motifs.

Although his name is now largely forgotten, these rarely seen works call attention to Pergolesi’s legacy, to the Beaux-Arts neoclassical decoration of Cooper Hewitt’s historic mansion (built 1897–1902), and to the ways in which ornament of all kinds enlivens our built environment.

exhibition highlights

Ornament Design, Two Panels and Urn with Vulcan, 1776; Michel Angelo Pergolesi (Italian, active London, ca. 1760-1801); Pen and ink, brush and watercolor over graphite on laid paper; 48.3 × 34.3 cm (19 in. × 13 1/2 in.); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Gift of an Unknown Donor, 1980-32-1433; Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution.

Ornament Design, Roman Altar Dedicated to Mars and Roman Standards; Michel Angelo Pergolesi (Italian, active London, ca. 1760-1801); Pen and ink, brush and watercolor over graphite on laid paper; 48.3 × 34.3 cm (19 in. × 13 1/2 in.); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Gift of an Unknown Donor, 1980-32-1439; Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution.

Ornament Design, Tripod and Roman Standards, 1776; Michel Angelo Pergolesi (Italian, active London, ca. 1760-1801); Pen and ink, brush and watercolor over graphite on laid paper; 48.3 × 34.3 cm (19 in. × 13 1/2 in.); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Gift of an Unknown Donor, 1980-32-1443; Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution.

Ornament Design, Urns and Lunette Panel with Swans; Michel Angelo Pergolesi (Italian, active London, ca. 1760–1801); Pen and ink, brush and watercolor over graphite on laid paper; 48.3 × 34.3 cm (19 in. × 13 1/2 in.); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Gift of an Unknown Donor, 1980-32-1449; Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution.

Ornament Design with Cameo; Michel Angelo Pergolesi (Italian, active London, ca. 1760–1801); Pen and ink, brush and watercolor over graphite on laid paper; 48.3 × 34.3 cm (19 in. × 13 1/2 in.); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Gift of an Unknown Donor, 1980-32-1452; Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution.

support

Mr. Pergolesi’s Curious Things: Ornament in 18th-Century Britain is made possible with generous support from the Marks Family Foundation Endowment Fund.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This exhibition was organized by Julia Siemon, PhD, Assistant Curator of Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design at Cooper Hewitt.

Exhibition design by Field Guide Architecture and Design. Exhibition graphic design by Kelly Sung.

The Antique in Print: The Classical Past and the Visual Arts in the Long 18th Century

Classical reliefs, sarcophagi, frescoes, coins, and gems were frequently copied and readapted by Renaissance artists from the 15th century onwards. Yet it was only in the age of the Enlightenment that a selection of them was canonized, illustrated, and diffused in Europe through antiquarian publications. Scholars and travelers on the Grand Tour viewed antiquity through the lens of these books. Their printed illustrations offered a range of images and symbolic references for artists, decorators, and architects whenever they wanted to quote the Antique in their creations.

Post Type

Event

Event Date

January 18, 2023

Fanciful drawing of decorative ornamental designs for an altar completed in rich watercolors

Mr. Pergolesi’s Curious Things: Ornament in 18th-Century Britain Curator Tour

In this guided exhibition tour you will encounter fanciful drawings and prints by Michel Angelo Pergolesi, an Italian-born artist whose professional specialty, in his words, was “the ornaments of the ancients.” Tour led by Julia Siemon, Assistant Curator of Paintings, J. Paul Getty Museum.

Post Type

Event

Event Date

January 20, 2023

Three images of colorful ornament drawings by Michel Angelo Pergolesi set against a vibrant rainbow background.

Verbal Description and Touch Tour of Mr. Pergolesi’s Curious Things: Ornament in 18th-Century Britain

Join us for a hands-on exploration of the work of 18th-century designer and printmaker Michel Angelo Pergolesi, featured in the upcoming exhibition, Mr. Pergolesi’s Curious Things: Ornament in 18th-Century Britain.

Post Type

Event

Event Date

October 20, 2022