Venice has been home to the international Biennale since 1895. A little known fact to some is that the Biennale was suspended during WW2, during which time the various national pavilions were commandeered for other uses and they fell into disrepair.

Bronze statue of The Angel of the Citadel by Marino Marini, on the canal forecourt of Palazzo Venier

Equally as famous as the Venice Biennale is of course the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal.

On reading The Unfinished Palazzo: Life, Love and Art in Venice by Judith Mackrell which shared the stories of three amazing female occupants of the Palazzo between 1910 to 1979, I was surprised to learn that the first time Peggy’s collection was exhibited in Venice was not in Palazzo Venier, Peggy’s home until her death in 1979.

But rather the artworks were a feature of the post-war Biennale when it was relaunched in 1948.  Following the end of the war, a few countries were unable to provide exhibits to the Biennale and in a bid to fill the refurbished pavilions the organisers invited Peggy to release her collection from safe storage in New York and to mount an exhibition in the vacant Greek Pavilion.

It was not until early 1949 that Peggy purchased the Palazzo Venier property and brought her collection home.

Two exhibitions not to be missed in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection are:

1948: The Biennale of Peggy Guggenheim
May 25–November 25, 2018
The museum presents an homage exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of Peggy’s exhibition in the Greek Pavilion at the 24th Venice Biennale.

Peggy Guggenheim. The Last Dogaressa
21 September, 2019–27 January, 2020
This exhibition will celebrate Peggy Guggenheim’s Venetian life, shedding light on how she continued to add significant works of art to her collection.

Interested to know more?  Dates for the 2019 Venice Biennale are 11 May to 24 November 2019.