There is a museum in Venice, which displays paintings by artists of the early 20th century. The collection is small, only 300 canvases, but it is widely known. People from all over the world come to admire the works of famous masters.
History
The museum is located in a palace formerly owned by the Venier dei Leoni family, an ancient and noble family. It was built by Lorenzo Boschetti, a talented architect, in the 50s of the XYIII century. The building is not huge in size, has only one floor, but attracts with its clear lines and grace. The new owner of the palace was in 1948 the American Peggy (Margaret) Guggenheim, a well-known philanthropist and gallery owner. She was born in 1898 in the family of the tycoon Benjamin Guggenheim. In 1912, he died in the shipwreck of the infamous Titanic on its maiden and final voyage. After the death of her father, the girl becomes a wealthy heiress. Until she comes of age, she is raised in the family of her uncle, Solomon Guggenheim, an industrialist and art connoisseur.
Peggy, after receiving a colossal inheritance, goes to the capital of France, where she revolves in a bohemian environment of artists, writers and poets. From that time on, she began to acquire paintings by recognized masters and completely unknown artists, unmistakably determining their talent. Subsequently, the prices for their work increased tens and hundreds of times. Madame Guggenheim has been acquiring paintings for a quarter of a century, moving from Europe to America and back. A few days before the entry of Hitler's troops into Paris, she bought paintings from people who wanted to quickly leave the capital at this troubled time and needed money. Guggenhai hid the priceless canvases in a Parisian suburb with friends and left for America.
When the war ended, the woman returned to her beloved Europe and settled in Venice. Here she acquired the Venier Palace, where she placed her collection. Guggenhai lived in this amazing city for 30 years and all these years the house was open for free visits once a week, each visitor could view the paintings. When the owner of the palace died, a museum was organized in it two years later.
What to see
The gallery, which to this day is one of the most visited in Italy, belongs to the Guggenheim Foundation. People come first of all to see the paintings, but one cannot help but admire the palace itself, whose grace does not leave people indifferent. Its facade is made of snow-white stone. In front of the central part of the building there is a small terrace, from which an indescribable view of the Grand Canal opens. A low staircase leads to the main entrance.
The collection is housed in several rooms connected by a gallery. First, the visitor enters a small shop where souvenirs are sold - postcards with the image of the gallery owner and paintings, monographs, albums and books in several languages. In the next building there is an entrance to the museum - a ticket office and storage rooms if the visitor has large things with him. After purchasing entrance tickets, people enter the Nasher Sculpture Garden, opened in 1951.
A small part of the collection is located in the garden, and in one of the distant sites the Guggenheim itself is buried, next to it there is a tombstone on which the names of favorite dogs of the Lhasa Apso breed are carved. On the territory there is a gazebo and sculptural exhibitions and installations by Karo, Moore and other masters. Museum workers often hold all kinds of exhibitions and promotions, during which admission is free. In addition, the palace has a rich library containing art books, monographs, and essays.
Collection description
The exhibition presents canvases by masters, some of whom the hostess was personally acquainted with. The works were executed in the trends fashionable at the beginning of the last century - modernism, surrealism, futurism and cubism. These are the artists Giorgi, Dali, Kandinsky, Picasso Leger and others. In 1997, 26 works from the collection of Gianni Matiolli were added to the Guggenheim collection, they were made by Italian futurists - Carra, Boccioni, Russolo, Sseverini. For the convenience of visitors, in each hall of the palace, it presents exhibits, united by stylistic directions. In the hall of surrealism, you can see canvases by Picasso, Dali, and in the hall of abstractionism, visitors admire the masterpieces of Chagall or Kandinsky, Malevich or Pollock. Braque, Picasso, Leger, working in Cubism, occupy the next room.
The best works are:
- Pablo Picasso - "On the Beach" (1937), "Workshop" (1928)
- Kazimir Malevich - untitled (1916)
- Gino Severini - "The Sea", "Young Dancers" (1911)
- Salvador Dali - "The Birth of Liquid Desires" (1932)
- Marc Chagall - Rain (1911)
- Jackson Pollock - Moonlight Woman (1942)
- Jojo de Chirico - The Red Tower (1913)
The exhibition features graphics, sketches and sketches of artists. This is a small part of the paintings that can be viewed in the museum. In addition, sculptures related to ethnic culture may be of interest to amateurs. These are wooden masks and figures of American Indians and Oceania aborigines. You should know that the collection consists only of real, time-tested works of art. Today the exhibition is attended by over 400 thousand people a year.
Opening hours and ticket prices
The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. The day off is Tuesday.
- Ticket price - 15 euros
- For people over 65 years old - 13 euros
- for students - 9 euros
- for children under 10 years old admission is free
The exhibition can be viewed by ordering an individual visit accompanied by a guide.
Where is it located and how to get there
The museum is located in Venice (Italy) on the Grand Canal in the Venier dei Leoni Palace. It is more convenient to get there by vaporetto tram, or by river taxi to the Accademia Bridge stop. The museum was created thanks to the patron and collector Peggy Guggenheim, it is always in great demand. The gallery has been repeatedly recognized as the most visited in Italy. For lovers of contemporary art, it will be interesting and informative.
