Peggy Guggenheim's 1948 Biennale Pavilion Recreated in Venice

A pivotal moment in Peggy Guggenheim's career—her 1948 exhibition of 136 works at the Greek Pavilion of the XXIV Venice Biennale—is being recreated in the project rooms of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Curated by Gražina Subelytė, the reconstruction uses period photographs, documents, and some of the original artworks to evoke the atmosphere of that groundbreaking pavilion, which was the Biennale's sole focus on contemporary art. The 1948 show introduced European audiences to American Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko, alongside European modernists such as Alberto Giacometti, Max Ernst, and Jean Arp. The exhibition also highlights Carlo Scarpa's innovative display design, with a scale model at the center of the first room making the pavilion layout more accessible. This recreation stands as an autonomous experience from Guggenheim's New York gallery Art of This Century, which had closed in 1947, and marks an important chapter in Venetian cultural history.