Pollack and Picasso and Dali, Oh My!
Peggy Guggenheim was a wild woman! She was outrageous, flamboyant, eccentric, and, most of all, she had fabulous taste. Known for having a herd of exotic lap dogs, a personal chauffeured gondola, a penchant for Calder like earrings and the funkiest sunglasses this side of Bootsy Collins, a glimpse of her lifestyle and her impressive collection of art are both preserved in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.
Peggy called the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni her home and filled it with the works of artists she loved, often befriended and always championed. After deciding to open a museum, she proceeded to put herself on an art regime which required her to purchase a piece a day. Among other acquisitions, ten Picassos, forty Ernsts, eight Miros, four Magrittes, three Man Rays (whom she’d posed for earlier in his career), six Pollacks, three Dalis, and one Chagall all became part of the Peggy Guggenheim collection.
Together with the Gianni Mattioli Collection and the Nasher Sculpture Garden, her former home is now one of the world’s premiere Modern Art museums. All the great American and European artists of the first half of the 20th Century are featured, owed entirely to Peggy’s innovative vision and early embrace of surrealism, abstract impressionism and cubism. Guggenheim, who was a patron to all things avant-garde, could always spot enormous potential.
Just as impressive as the collection, is the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni. It is a gem on the Grand Canal which was the source of much envy in the city of Venice. In classic Peggy Guggenheim fashion, she placed a large bronze statue, “Angel of the City” by Marino Marini, in front of the palazzo, facing the canal. The statue is of a naked man riding a horse. His arms are spread wide in triumph, his tongue is sticking out, and he has a large brass erection. Originally, the penis was designed to be detachable to spare nuns, young ladies or clergy from being embarrassed. However, after several detachable versions were stolen in the night, a new member was welded on and the “Angel” is now in a constant state of arousal.
You wouldn’t expect anything less from a woman who was a lover of artistic freedom, passionate expression and titillating gossip.
Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Dorsoduro, 704
0039 041.2405411
www.guggenheim-venice.it
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