Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979) was an American art collector and socialite who played a major role in the development of modern art in Europe and America. Born into a wealthy Jewish family in New York City, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who died on the Titanic in 1912. After her father’s death, Peggy inherited a fortune, which she used to finance her collecting activities. She spent much of her life in Europe, living in Paris, Venice, and London, and was an important figure in the avant-garde art scene of the interwar period.
Early Life and Education
Peggy Guggenheim was born on August 26, 1898, in New York City. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Florette Seligman Guggenheim, and the granddaughter of Meyer Guggenheim, who had founded the Guggenheim family fortune. Peggy had three siblings, and the family was wealthy and socially prominent. She was educated in private schools and received a classical education, which included the study of languages, literature, music, and art.
Art Collecting and Support for Artists
In 1921, Peggy moved to Paris, where she became part of the artistic and literary circles of the time. She began to collect art, and soon became an important patron of the avant-garde. She bought works by such artists as Marcel Duchamp, Alexander Calder, Constantin Brancusi, Joan Miró, and Yves Tanguy. In 1938, she opened her first gallery, called Art of This Century, in New York. The gallery showed the work of European and American abstract expressionists, surrealists, and cubists, and was the first gallery in the United States to do so.
In addition to her own collecting activities, Peggy Guggenheim was a major supporter of modern art and artists. She sponsored a number of exhibitions, and provided financial support to struggling artists, including Jackson Pollock, who was a close friend. She was also an important figure in the development of abstract expressionism in America.
Legacy
Peggy Guggenheim was an important figure in the development of modern art in Europe and America. Her patronage of modern art and artists helped to shape the course of art history. After her death in 1979, her collection of art was donated to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, and is now housed in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy.
Collections
Peggy Guggenheim’s collection includes more than 1,300 works by some of the most influential artists of the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, and Piet Mondrian. Her collection also includes works by Jackson Pollock, Max Ernst, Francis Bacon, and many others.
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice is one of the most important collections of modern art in the world. Located in Peggy’s former home, the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, it houses her personal collection of art, as well as temporary exhibitions of works from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The collection includes works by some of the most important artists of the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, and Piet Mondrian.
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in New York
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in New York is located in the former home of the artist, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The collection includes more than 200 works by European and American modernists, including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Wassily Kandinsky. The collection also includes works by Jackson Pollock, Max Ernst, Francis Bacon, and many others.
Conclusion
Peggy Guggenheim was an important figure in the development of modern art in Europe and America. Her patronage of modern art and artists helped to shape the course of art history. Her collections, both in Venice and New York, are some of the most important collections of modern art in the world.
- Peggy Guggenheim was an American art collector and socialite who played a major role in the development of modern art in Europe and America.
- She used her inherited fortune to finance her collecting activities and was an important figure in the avant-garde art scene of the interwar period.
- She opened her first gallery, called Art of This Century, in New York in 1938.
- She was a major supporter of modern art and artists, sponsoring a number of exhibitions and providing financial support to struggling artists.
- Her collections, both in Venice and New York, are some of the most important collections of modern art in the world.
0 Comments