Peggy Guggenheim's First London Gallery Recreated in Venice Exhibition

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice presents 'Peggy Guggenheim a Londra. Nascita di una collezionista', an exhibition reconstructing the collector's first gallery, Guggenheim Jeune, which operated at 30 Cork Street, London, from 1938 to 1939. Curated by Gražina Subelytė and Simon Grant after six years of research, the show spans nine sections mirroring key exhibitions held at the original space. Despite its commercial failure, Guggenheim Jeune introduced avant-garde art—abstraction and Surrealism—to a conservative British scene, featuring artists like Jean Cocteau (his first solo show), Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, and Marie Vassilieff. The exhibition includes original works acquired by Guggenheim, such as Jean Arp's 'Testa e Conchiglia' (1931), her first purchase. It also presents pieces by Cedric Morris, Lucian Freud, Charles Howard, Heinz Henghes, and Atelier 17. A notable inclusion is Mondrian's 'Composition No. 1 with Grey and Red 1938 / Composition with Red 1939' from the landmark 'Exhibition of Abstract and Concrete Art' (May 1939). The exhibition runs at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni from April 25 to October 19, 2026, then travels to the Royal Academy of Arts, London (November 21, 2026 – March 14, 2027), and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (April 16 – September 12, 2027).