Rita Kernn-Larsen's Surrealist Works at Peggy Guggenheim Collection

In the winter of 1937, Peggy Guggenheim encountered Danish surrealist artist Rita Kernn-Larsen (1904–1998) in Paris, where Kernn-Larsen had showcased her work following Denmark's inaugural Cubist and Surrealist exhibition in 1935. Guggenheim extended an invitation for Kernn-Larsen to display her art at her London gallery in the spring of 1938, which became Guggenheim's first surrealist showcase. This exhibition represented the pinnacle of Kernn-Larsen's career. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice features a reconstruction of her surrealist poetics through seven paintings, documents, and photographs. Influenced by Paul Delvaux, her vibrant style is characterized by vivid colors and flowing lines, with notable pieces like 'Autoritratto (Conosci te stesso)' (1937). Her surrealist journey concluded in London in 1944, as she believed the turmoil of war overshadowed art's capacity to transcend reality.