The museums of Venice: Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the finest modern art museums in the world, and it is among the top five must-see attractions of Venice. Opened to the public since 1951, the private museum is a spiritual and emotional experience that is unique to Venice.

Peggy Guggenheim (1898 - 1979), the heiress of the Guggenheim family in New York, was an art addict who collected and protected the avant-garde art of her time. Peggy donated her entire collection to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation with a condition that the collection would remain in Venice. Peggy's collection includes works by both European and American artists - some of the most well-known are Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. Thanks to Peggy's determination and imagination, her international collection now serves as an educational tool for students of all ages and becomes a constant source of inspirations for every visitor.

In order to enrich your visit, you should take an audio guide (normal price: 7 euros, student price: 5 euros), which is narrated by our museum directors. Lasting for 75 minutes in total, the audio guide includes informative and engaging content about some of the most important art pieces in the collection. It is best to start from the dining room featuring Cubist art by famous artists such as Picasso (as you enter, it is the room on the left). Then continue your journey by exploring some representative movements of modern art such as Abstraction, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism.

Do not worry if you are not into the modern art in Peggy's collection, you can still enjoy something else that is quite extraordinary at the museum. While the rooftop terrace is closed to the public, the terrace overlooking the canal is open most of the times. *Sunbathing and relaxing in an 18th-century Italian palazzo is not something you get to do every day.* The palazzo's name is Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, and it is also called Palazzo Non Finito because it was left unfinished. Peggy lived in this palazzo for the last 30 years of her life.

Insider's tips

Buy your tickets online to avoid the queue. After purchasing the online tickets, skip the line at the ticket office and show your tickets to the staff on the far left. Bring your student ID to get a student discount (normal price: 15 euros, student price: 9 euros). The museum is open every day except for Tuesdays, from 10am to 6pm (however, visitors are kindly asked to start leaving the museum at 5.50pm). It takes around one hour and a half to visit the museum.

To make the most out of your experience, do not miss the free talks about the life of Peggy Guggenheim (at 12pm and 4pm) and specific artworks (at 11am and 5pm), delivered by the interns of the museum. The friendly and knowledgeable interns are always happy to answer your questions. And guess what, I am one of the interns too!