Peggy Guggenheim Collection – Venice, Italy

I love this museum! It feels as intimate as a home. At the same time, it is grandiose enough for this extraordinary collection and for the view of the Canal Grande. Located in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the best in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century. You should spend a couple of hours here, and then enjoy a cappuccino in the Museum Café, on a terrace overlooking the beautiful sculpture garden.
Outside: Construction of the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni probably began in the 1750s, but was left unfinished. Funding may have run out, or, as some say, perhaps the powerful and jealous Corner family living opposite the building blocked its completion. The long low façade is made of Istrian white stone. A lovely sculpture garden, where Peggy’s dogs are buried, is a fresh and calm oasis in front of the house. Through the house, one can reach the terrazzo, which offers a magnificent view of the Canal Grande, from the Academia Bridge to the Salute. In 1949, Peggy Guggenheim purchased the Palazzo and made it her home for the next thirty years. Early in 1951, Peggy Guggenheim opened her home and collection to the public and continued to do so every year until her death in 1979. The museum opened a year later.

Inside: The museum still has the feeling of a home. Photos of the original rooms show how Peggy was living surrounded by art. Just think how many famous artists, collectors, and art dealers walked in Peggy’s living room. And now you are here! Peggy’s collection includes major works of Cubism, Futurism, Metaphysical painting, European abstraction, avant-garde sculpture, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism. The greatest artists of the 20th century are represented, including Brancusi, Braque, Dalí, de Chirico, Duchamp, Giacometti, Kandinsky, Klee, Magritte, Marini, Miró, Mondrian, Picasso, and Pollock. The museum also exhibits masterpieces from the Gianni Mattioli Collection, including famous paintings of Italian Futurism, such as “Materia” and “Dynamism of a Cyclist” by Boccioni, “Interventionist Demostration” by Carrà, works by Balla, Depero, Severini, and Sironi. The collection also includes important early paintings by Morandi and a rare portrait by Modigliani. My personal highlights are Balla’s “Abstract Speed + Sound” (in the kitchen) and “Mercury Passing Before the Sun,” Magritte’s “Empire of Light” (in the large room), Pollock’s “Alchemy” (in the guest bedroom), and Boccioni’s “Dynamism of a Cyclist.” (Last visited 03/2005)