The legendary and eccentric collector changed art history forever. 

A patron of the arts; a confidante, friend and lover to the modern masters; and a dedicated and ambitious art collector, Peggy Guggenheim was larger than life. New documentary Peggy Guggenheim – Art Addict, by director Lisa Immordino Vreeland, details the exceptional, international life of a woman who broke the rules both publicly and privately. Centered on recently recovered tapes of Peggy Guggenheim’s last interview, this film explores the vision amid tragedy of an iconic woman who eschewed tradition in both her collection and social life.

  1. Peggy Guggenheim had no art history background.
  2. Peggy’s father, Ben Guggenheim, died tragically on the RMS Titanic. He gave his life vest away.
  3. A black sheep of her family, with a love for shock, Peggy shaved off her eyebrows in high school. This rebellious act was considered so avant-garde it became a trend.
  4. At her first gallery, Guggenheim Jeuene, the young collector gave an exhibit of children’s art inspired by her daughter’s love of painting. It was the first show Lucien Freud ever exhibited in.
  5. During World War II Guggenheim spent time in Paris collecting art for a new modern art museum she planned to open in London. She requested the Louvre’s assistance in protecting the works for the duration of the war. The Louvre declined, saying the works were not worth saving. Instead a man helped her ship the whole collection to America, listed as household objects such as sheets, blankets, and casserole dishes.
  6. Guggenheim gave Hans Hoffman, Clyfford Still, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky and many more their first shows.
  7. Peggy Guggenheim hated her nose and was one of the first people to have plastic surgery. She had the doctor stop in the middle of the procedure because it was so painful, and he apparently didn’t succeed in getting her the nose she wanted. She decided to never have this botched nose job fixed.

Learn more when Peggy Guggenheim—Art Addict screens at the ICA Sep 18 + 19.