Encounters With Peggy Guggenheim

Born into a wealthy New York family in 1898, Marguerite 'Peggy' Guggenheim was one of the greatest art collectors of the 20th century. Using her inheritance to open her first art gallery, Peggy's love of art lead her to eventually settle in Venice, where she relaunched her life after becoming the star of the 1948 Venice Art Biennale. For her, a life without the inspiration of her artist and writer friends would have been unthinkable. In Encounters with Peggy Guggenheim, renowned photographer Stefan Moses reveals his collection of photographs of Peggy, taken between 1969 and 1974, many of which have never been seen before. Striking, eccentric and dramatic, Moses photographed Peggy in her favorite places around Venice, as well as in her private palazzo at Canal Grande. See Peggy as she glides on her gondola with her Lhasa apso dogs, wearing her iconic butterfly glasses made by Edward Melcarth -- the quickness and talent of Moses captures the character of this true eccentric. An inspiration for art-, photography- and fashion-lovers alike, Encounters with Peggy Guggenheim is a behind-the-scenes look at of one of the world's most eccentric and inspirational women.

A patron of art since the 1930s, Peggy Guggenheim, in a candid self-portrait, provides an insider's view of the early days of modern art, with revealing accounts of her eccentric wealthy family, her personal and professional relationships, and often surprising portrayals of the artists themselves Peggy Guggenheim was born into affluence and a lavish lifestyle. Bored with her seemingly "pedestrian" life in New York, she headed for Europe in 1921, where she woudl sow the seeds for a future as one of modern art's most important and influential figures. In the midst of Europe's avant-garde circles, she reveled in her love affairs with prominent artists and also became a serious collector. Her Guggenheim Jeune gallery in London brought figures such as Brancusi, Cocteau, Kandinsky, and Arp to the forefront of the art scene. Later, her New York gallery would launch the careers of Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell, among others. In her own inimitable and bawdy style, Peggy Guggenheim gives us an insider's glimpse into the modern art world with intimate, often surprising portrayals of its most significant players. Candid, clever, and always entertaining, here is a memoir that captures a valuable chapter in the history of modern art, as well as the spirit of one of its greatest advocates.

Mrs Guggenheim, how many husbands have you had? Do you mean my own, or other people's? Peggy Guggenheim was an American millionairess art collector and legendary lover, whose father died on the Titanic returning from installing the lift machinery in the Eiffel Tower. She lived in Paris in the 1930s and got to know all the major artists - especially the Surrealists. (Later she bullied Max Ernst into marrying her, but was snubbed by Picasso.) When the Second World War broke out, she bought great numbers of paintings from artists fleeing to America; as a Jew she escaped from Vichy, France and set up in New York, where in the 1940s and 1950s she befriended and encouraged the New York School (Jackson Pollock, Rothko, and others)

In her captivating memoir, Out of This Century: The Informal Memoirs of Peggy Guggenheim, the renowned art collector and socialite takes readers on a fascinating journey through her extraordinary life. From her bohemian upbringing to her pivotal role in shaping the modern art world, Guggenheim's story is one of passion, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to the avant-garde. This intimate and candid account offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a visionary who left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of the 20th century.

Dearborn's unprecedented access to Guggenheim's family, friends, and papers contributes rich insight to her traumatic childhood in New York, her self-education in the ways of art and artists, her battles with other art-collecting Guggenheims, and her legendary sexual appetites.

“A richly developed portrait of the rise and decline of one of America’s best known social klans...a great tale.” — BusinessWeek “This fascinating family saga told with the brisk spirit of its subjects, evokes the strength necessary to create a dynasty.” — Nicholas Fox Weber, Los Angeles Times Book Review “The stories [the Ungers] compile are a rich and fascinating tapestry.” — John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News “I am enthralled. A page-turner. . . . What a palatable way to learn American history!” — Leonard Dinnerstein, author of Natives and Strangers “The best-informed account of the clan. . . . An engaging history of the famous family.” — Booklist “Indelible and intriguing . . . meticulously researched and very well written. An American saga.” — Norman F. Cantor, author of The Sacred Chain: The History of the Jews “Fascinating...an engaging story recounted by the Ungers in fast-paced, well-documented style.” — Robin Updike, Seattle Times “Excellent...pitch-perfect...their narrative moves more swiftly than any 550-page group biogrpahy has any right to.” — Francis Morrone, New York Sun

A visual biography of the great patron and collector This book offers a thorough visual biography of the life of Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979) as collector, through a selection of works from the world-renowned collection she established primarily between 1938 and 1946, and to which she would continue to add for the rest of her life. The selections from her collection, emphasizing lesser-known works, are accompanied by a series of previously unpublished photographs from her life during periods spent living in London, Paris and her native New York, as well as Venice, where she settled with her collection in 1949 and spent her remaining 30 years. Each period of Guggenheim's life is examined through contributions from 13 international scholars and researchers, which, along with the photographs, provide new insights into her colorful and impressive career building one of the world's most significant and widely visited personal art collections.

Essay by Philip Rylands.

Merging biography, memoir, and cultural history, this compelling book, a bestseller in France, traces the life of Dora Maar (1907–1997) through a serendipitous encounter with the artist’s address book. In search of a replacement for his lost Hermès agenda, Brigitte Benkemoun’s husband buys a vintage diary on eBay. When it arrives, she opens it and finds inside private notes dating back to 1951—twenty pages of phone numbers and addresses for Balthus, Brassaï, André Breton, Jean Cocteau, Paul Éluard, Leonor Fini, Jacqueline Lamba, and other artistic luminaries of the European avant-garde. After realizing that the address book belonged to Dora Maar—Picasso’s famous “Weeping Woman” and a brilliant artist in her own right—Benkemoun embarks on a two-year voyage of discovery to learn more about this provocative, passionate, and enigmatic woman, and the role that each of these figures played in her life. Longlisted for the prestigious literary award Prix Renaudot, Finding Dora Maar is a fascinating and breathtaking portrait of the artist. “Beautifully written and fascinating.”—Paris Match “One of the happy surprises of the end of the literary season.”—Livres Hebdo “A highly moving portrait of the artist.”—Elle (France) This book received support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States through their publishing assistance program.