The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice is one of the most important museums dedicated to art and culture from the first half of the 20th century. Once the private residence of Peggy Guggenheim, it is now an extraordinary and invaluable collection managed by the Guggenheim Foundation, the same institution that oversees the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and New York.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection – general information
The Guggenheim Museum in Venice is located in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, in the Dorsoduro district, and overlooks the Grand Canal. It is an unmissable destination for art lovers, as it houses works by world-renowned artists such as Ernst, Picasso, Pollock, and many others.
Beyond its permanent collection, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice also hosts temporary thematic exhibitions that attract art enthusiasts from all over the world. We had the pleasure of visiting Surrealism and Magic, an exhibition that truly left us speechless.
Museo Peggy Guggheneim Venezia – cosa vedere
The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is organized into several areas and features three permanent exhibitions:
- the Peggy Guggenheim Collection;
- the Schulhof Collection with its garden;
- the Nasher Sculpture Garden.
Venice Guggenheim Collection
In the first area of the museum, visitors can admire works collected by the American art patron, representing Futurism, Surrealism, and Cubism, as well as all the avant-garde movements of the first half of the twentieth century.
Picasso, De Chirico, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Magritte, Dalí, Pollock, and Ernst are just some of the great artists featured in this extraordinary collection..
The Schulhof Collection
In the second area of the museum, artworks by Hannelore Schulhof and her husband Rudolph are on display. Visitors can also admire paintings by Noland, Hofmann, Fontana, and Kelly, as well as impressive sculptures by Holzer, Caro, and Hepworth.
The Sculpture Garden
Have you ever seen an outdoor open space designed and set up as an open-air museum? The Sculpture Garden displays works by masters such as Giacometti, Marini, Takis, Moore, Holzer, and many others.
Temporary Exhibitions
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice frequently offers visitors new artworks and interesting exhibitions. Art, culture, and educational projects come together to create a range of experiences designed for both adults and children.
It is difficult to list all the activities organized throughout the year, so if you would like to discover what’s currently on, you can visit the official Peggy Guggenheim Collection Venice page at this link.
Who Was Peggy Guggenheim?
Born in New York in 1898 into a wealthy and influential family, her father died in 1912 aboard the Titanic. During her youth, she traveled extensively throughout Europe, eventually opening her first art gallery in London at a very young age.
Thanks to her husband Laurence Vail and her influential circle of friends, her work profoundly changed the way postwar art was perceived.
The First Collection in New York
Starting in 1940, she began acquiring numerous masterpieces of art, including works by Salvador Dalí, Piet Mondrian, and Georges Braque.
When Paris was occupied by the Nazis in 1941, she returned to New York with her second husband, Max Ernst, where she opened a new gallery called Art of This Century. The gallery quickly became one of the most respected and innovative venues for contemporary art exhibitions in New York.
European Exhibitions
She returned to Europe in 1947, and her collection was shown for the first time at the Venice Biennale the following year, bringing international attention to artists such as Jackson Pollock, who was exhibited in Europe for the very first time.
She began a new chapter of her life in Venice after purchasing Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, and in 1962 she was named Honorary Citizen of Venice. She passed away in 1979, and since then the Guggenheim Collection has continued to captivate and inspire visitors, establishing itself as one of the most important modern art museums in the world.
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
The building was designed by architect Lorenzo Boschetti, who also designed the Church of San Barbaba in Venice. Construction was never completed, possibly due to disputes with neighboring families or because the laying of the foundations damaged a nearby historic Gothic palace.
The name most likely derives from the Istrian stone lion head that decorates the building. The term Venier comes from an ancient and prestigious Venetian family—many Doges bore this surname over the centuries.
The Legend
According to legend, a real lion once lived in this garden, which later gave the building its name.
Opening Hours
From 10:00 am to 6:00 pm – Closed on Thursdays and on December 25.
Where It Is Located – Map
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