Andrea Palladio (1508–1580) was one of the most influential architects in the Western world. Fascinated by Roman ruins and the work of the ancient Roman architect/engineer/theorist Vitruvius, Palladio designed public and private buildings that incorporate classical design elements while exploiting Renaissance advances in engineering and construction. Palladio’s architectural theory, widely disseminated through his Four Books on Architecture (1570), reached the United States by the 18th century and influenced Thomas Jefferson and the design of monumental buildings in Washington, DC. Through rarely seen drawings and books from the collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects, modern bas-relief models, and specially commissioned models of buildings that Palladio studied, designed, or influenced, Palladio and His Legacy: A Transatlantic Journey documents this transatlantic migration of architectural thinking.

The exhibition is organized for Carnegie Museum of Art by Tracy Myers, curator of architecture.