Edited with text by Gra˛ina Subelyte, Simon Grant. Text by Louise Weller, Susan Davidson, Paul Franklin, Rosalind McKever, Ari Shapiro, Emily Christensen, Emma Boyd, Ambra D'Antone, Patrick Elliott, Benoit Neal, Suran Lea, Christina Weyl, James N. Chadwick, Clara Masnatta, Alice Ensabella.
The never-before-told story of Peggy Guggenheim’s formation as a gallerist, collector and patron of the avant-garde, amply illustrated with artworks and archival materials
A groundbreaking work of art historical scholarship, The Making of a Collector is the first-ever volume dedicated to Peggy Guggenheim’s experience as a burgeoning art collector in London, culminating in the opening of her first gallery, the Guggenheim Jeune. Over the course of 18 months, from January 1938 through June 1939, the gallery was a beacon for the avant-garde movements of the era, hosting over 20 exhibitions, including Vasily Kandinsky’s first solo show in London and a monographic exhibition of work by Jean Cocteau. This volume elucidates her network of influential friends—from Marcel Duchamp to Samuel Beckett and Mary Reynolds—who helped shape her vision and showcases key works from her pioneering exhibitions alongside similar works from the same period by artists such as Eileen Agar, Salvador Dalķ, Barbara Hepworth, Rita Kernn-Larsen, Piet Mondrian, Henry Moore, Cedric Morris and Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Replete with archival material, the book bears testimony to the period of intense experimentation and cultural vibrancy leading up to World War II. A self-described “art addict,” Peggy Guggenheim (1898–1979) was an American art collector who helped establish Cubism and Surrealism through gallery shows on both sides of the Atlantic. Her collections are now held by the Guggenheim Foundation.
American artist and educator John Ferren’s 1937 “Tempora” is reproduced from Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector—the first book ever dedicated to the pioneering collector and philanthropist’s formative days in London, where she opened her first gallery, the Guggenheim Jeune, in 1938. Published to accompany the traveling exhibition making stops in Venice, London and New York through 2027, this 272-page hardcover is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century avant-garde circles. “Encouraged by her friend, the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, who urged her to champion contemporary art as ‘a living thing,’ Guggenheim deepened her commitment to supporting the avant-garde,” curators Gra˛ina Subelyte and Simon Grant write. “Over the course of eighteen months, from January 1938 through June 1939, Guggenheim Jeune quickly became one of the central places to see the latest developments in art by both local and international artists, many of whom were affiliated with abstraction and Surrealism. This inclination also reflected her early guidance from the French-born artist Marcel Duchamp…” The gallery would close in June of 1939, just three months before London officially entered World War II and Guggenheim would be forced to flee to France, and then back to her native New York. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 9.5 x 12.25 in. / 272 pgs / 240 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $65.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $90 GBP £50.00 ISBN: 9791254633748 PUBLISHER: Marsilio Arte AVAILABLE: 10/6/2026 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Peggy Guggenheim in London The Making of a Collector
Published by Marsilio Arte. Edited with text by Gra˛ina Subelyte, Simon Grant. Text by Louise Weller, Susan Davidson, Paul Franklin, Rosalind McKever, Ari Shapiro, Emily Christensen, Emma Boyd, Ambra D'Antone, Patrick Elliott, Benoit Neal, Suran Lea, Christina Weyl, James N. Chadwick, Clara Masnatta, Alice Ensabella.
The never-before-told story of Peggy Guggenheim’s formation as a gallerist, collector and patron of the avant-garde, amply illustrated with artworks and archival materials
A groundbreaking work of art historical scholarship, The Making of a Collector is the first-ever volume dedicated to Peggy Guggenheim’s experience as a burgeoning art collector in London, culminating in the opening of her first gallery, the Guggenheim Jeune. Over the course of 18 months, from January 1938 through June 1939, the gallery was a beacon for the avant-garde movements of the era, hosting over 20 exhibitions, including Vasily Kandinsky’s first solo show in London and a monographic exhibition of work by Jean Cocteau. This volume elucidates her network of influential friends—from Marcel Duchamp to Samuel Beckett and Mary Reynolds—who helped shape her vision and showcases key works from her pioneering exhibitions alongside similar works from the same period by artists such as Eileen Agar, Salvador Dalķ, Barbara Hepworth, Rita Kernn-Larsen, Piet Mondrian, Henry Moore, Cedric Morris and Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Replete with archival material, the book bears testimony to the period of intense experimentation and cultural vibrancy leading up to World War II.
A self-described “art addict,” Peggy Guggenheim (1898–1979) was an American art collector who helped establish Cubism and Surrealism through gallery shows on both sides of the Atlantic. Her collections are now held by the Guggenheim Foundation.
