Architecture, Theater, and Fantasy

For nearly a century, members of three generations of the Bibiena family were themost highly sought theater designers in Europe. Their elaborate stage designs wereused for operas, festivals, and courtly performances across Europe: from their nativeItaly to cites as far afi eld as Vienna, Prague, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and Lisbon.Beyond these performances, the distinctive Bibiena style survives through theirremarkable drawings.Architecture, Theater, and Fantasy marks the promised gift to the Morgan Library &Museum of a group of Bibiena drawings from the collection of Jules Fisher, the TonyAward-winning lighting designer, and commemorates an exhibition of these works, thefi rst in the United States in over thirty years to celebrate these talented draftsmen. Thesedrawings demonstrate the range of the Bibienas’ output, from energetic sketches tohighly fi nished watercolors. With representations of imagined palace interiors and lavishillusionistic architecture, this group of drawings highlights the visual splendor of theBaroque stage.The catalogue opens with Diane Kelder’s introductory essay about the Bibiena family.Laurel Peterson then discusses the Bibienas as draftsmen, underscoring the drawingsfrom the Fisher collection. Arnold Aronson, in turn, explores the family’s contributionto the theater, setting them within a history of European stage design and explainingthe signifi cance of the dynamic angled perspective of their scena per angolo sets. JohnMarciari’s essay considers the Fisher gift among the many Bibiena drawings already atthe Morgan, mainly from the Oenslager collection, and looks at the collecting of Bibienadrawings more generally. Finally, Diane Kelder’s checklist off ers information regarding theattribution and provenance of the works in the exhibition.