Things to Do at Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Complete Guide to Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice

About Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni never got its upper floors - construction stopped in the 18th century, leaving a single-story white stone facade that sits low against the Grand Canal like a half-finished thought. Peggy Guggenheim bought it in 1949 and filled it with Picassos, Pollocks, Magrittes, and Giacomettis. She lived here for 30 years, throwing parties on the canal terrace and collecting art with an instinct that turned unknowns into icons. The museum is small enough to see in 90 minutes and dense enough to revisit. Pollock's "Alchemy" hangs in a room where Guggenheim used to eat breakfast. Calder mobiles turn slowly in the same breeze that comes off the canal. The sculpture garden where her ashes rest alongside her 14 dogs overlooks the Grand Canal, and Marino Marini's "Angel of the City" - a bronze figure on horseback with arms spread and a famously explicit detail - faces the water taxi traffic with permanent enthusiasm. This is not a hushed, velvet-rope museum. It is someone's extraordinary home, left almost exactly as she arranged it.

What to See & Do

Jackson Pollock's Alchemy

Guggenheim gave Pollock his first solo show in 1943 and commissioned a mural for her New York townhouse. "Alchemy" (1947) is a classic drip painting, 114 by 221 cm, built up in layers of house paint, aluminum paint, and string. Stand close enough to see the physical texture - this is not a flat image but a geological surface

Picasso Gallery

Picasso's "On the Beach" (1937) and "The Poet" (1911) in the same collection let you see 26 years of evolution in 10 steps. The cubist works are early and rigorous, the later pieces looser and more playful. Guggenheim bought most of these directly from Parisian galleries in the 1930s and 40s

Sculpture Garden

A stone terrace facing the Grand Canal with bronze sculptures by Moore, Giacometti, and Arp placed among trimmed hedges. Guggenheim's ashes are interred here beside a plaque reading "Here Rests Peggy Guggenheim" and next to a stone inscribed with her dogs' names. Marini's "Angel of the City" faces the canal from the water gate - the most photographed angle is from a passing vaporetto

Kandinsky Room

Several major Kandinskys including "Landscape with Red Spots No. 2" (1913) from the pivotal year when he moved from representation to full abstraction. The room places early and late works together so you can see the transition happen. Stand back from the large canvases - they resolve from a distance in a way that close viewing misses

Max Ernst Collection

Guggenheim married Ernst in 1941 and collected his work throughout their relationship and beyond. "The Antipope" and "Attirement of the Bride" are highlights - both full of Ernst's dense, unsettling imagery that rewards slow looking. The personal history behind the collection adds a layer that museum labels only hint at

Practical Information

Opening Hours

Wednesday to Monday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Closed Tuesdays (open Tuesdays during Venice Biennale years). Last entry 5:15 PM. The museum occasionally hosts evening openings during exhibitions - check guggenheim-venice.it

Tickets & Pricing

EUR 16 adults, EUR 14 students and seniors (65+), EUR 9 ages 10-18, free under 10. Audio guide included with every ticket. Book timed entry online at guggenheim-venice.it - summer queues without a booking can reach 30-45 minutes. Wednesday evenings sometimes have extended hours or special pricing

Best Time to Visit

Wednesday morning at 10 AM opening is the quietest slot - the museum just reopened after the Tuesday closure and the tour groups have not arrived. After 3 PM also thins out. Avoid weekend midday in summer. Rainy days bring everyone indoors, so ironically the museum is busiest when the weather is worst

Suggested Duration

The collection fills about 12 rooms plus the garden and terrace. Quick visit: 60-75 minutes. Art lovers who want to sit with individual pieces: 2 hours. Add 20 minutes for the sculpture garden and canal-side terrace. The museum cafe serves decent espresso (EUR 2.50) and panini (EUR 6-8) with a garden view

Getting There

Vaporetto Line 1 or 2 to Accademia stop, then 3 minutes on foot following "Guggenheim" signs through Dorsoduro's quiet streets. The entrance is a modest doorway in a residential wall on Calle San Cristoforo - easy to walk past if you are not looking. From St. Mark's Square, walk west through the Calle Vallaresso area, cross the wooden Accademia Bridge, and follow signs. Total walk: 15 minutes. The museum also has a private water gate on the Grand Canal - visible from any passing vaporetto as the low white palazzo with the Marini horse sculpture.

Things to Do Nearby

Palazzo Grassi
François Pinault's contemporary art space in a beautifully restored 18th-century palazzo, usually featuring cutting-edge exhibitions

Accademia Bridge
One of Venice's iconic Grand Canal crossings with fantastic views - you'll likely walk across it anyway getting to the museum

Palazzo Ca' Rezzonico
Museum of 18th-century Venice with opulent period rooms and Tiepolo frescoes - interesting contrast to Guggenheim's modern focus

Santa Maria della Salute
Venice's most photogenic baroque church, just a short walk away with impressive dome and canal-side steps perfect for photos

Punta della Dogana
Another Pinault contemporary art venue in a former customs house at the tip of Dorsoduro - great canal views even if you skip the art

Tips & Advice

The included audio guide has recordings of Peggy Guggenheim herself describing pieces and her relationships with the artists. Her voice - patrician, dry, confident - adds a dimension that wall text cannot. Use it at least for the Pollock, Ernst, and Picasso rooms

Do not skip the Dorothea Tanning and Leonora Carrington works - Guggenheim championed women surrealists when no one else would show them. The temporary exhibition space near the garden often has excellent contemporary shows included in the ticket price

The museum shop stocks exhibition catalogs, art books, and prints that are above average for museum retail. Guggenheim-branded items make good gifts. The bookshop section on 20th-century art history is strong. Budget EUR 15-40 if you are a book buyer

Combine with the Dorsoduro art walk: Guggenheim, then Accademia Gallery (EUR 12, Venetian Old Masters), then Palazzo Grassi (EUR 15, contemporary art), then Punta della Dogana (EUR 15, more contemporary). All within a 15-minute walk of each other. Dorsoduro is Venice's art district and also its best neighborhood for lunch - try Ristorante La Bitta on Calle Lunga San Barnaba