Art Professionals - Biography, Art Collecting & Patronage, Modern Art, Art of the 1980s and 1990s
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Overview
This elegant volume celebrates the 100th anniversary of Peggy Guggenheim's birth in 1898. Guggenheim's granddaughter Karole Vail provides an intimate biographical account of the collector's extraordinary life, from her privileged upbringing through her friendships with such avant-garde figures as Samuel Beckett and Marcel Duchamp. Before World War II, she ran the Guggenheim Jeune gallery in London, quickly accumulating a superb collection of Surrealist and abstract art. In 1942, she escaped to New York with Max Ernst and opened the landmark Art of The Century gallery, where she exhibited her collection and works by such emerging artists as Jackson Pollock. Guggenheim finally settled in Venice in the 18th-century palazzo that became the Peggy Guggenheim Collection after her death. Her guestbooks, pages from which are published here for the first time, reveal an astounding array of visitors and drawings by Jean Arp, Marc Chagall, and Alberto Giacometti, among others. Thomas Messer, former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, sums up the courtship that ended with the donation of Guggenheim's collection—much of which is reproduced here in full color—to the foundation. Numerous personal photographs make this centennial celebration a beautiful tribute to a life dedicated to art.Editorials
Library Journal
Peggy Guggenheim was among the most intriguing cultural figures of her day--as intriguing as the vast collection of modern art she amassed over her lifetime. Her granddaughter pays her a fitting tribute in this lavishly illustrated volume with photos of family and friends, stunning reproductions of artworks (by Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and others), and facsimiles from her famous guest books (including entries from such notables as Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, and Ned Rorem). The account of Guggenheim's life is absorbing, exploring her ties within the international art community, her personal life, the stories behind many of her acquisitions of modern abstract works, and her romance with the city of Venice. This is all presented with beauty, charm, and candor, providing an empathetic acquaintance with this remarkable woman, whose striking collection is a continual delight for visitors to La Serenissima. An essay by Thomas M. Messer, former director of the Guggenheim Foundation, provides an illuminating close to the book. Essential for art lovers.--Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJTatler UK
This lively essay and selection of reproductions makes for an arresting portrait of one of America's most important collectors.Book Details
Published
September 1, 1998
Publisher
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Pages
151
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780810969148