London, 13 October 2025 – The Embassy of Italy in London hosted the presentation of Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector, an exhibition that retraces the early steps of one of the greatest art collectors of the twentieth century, whose beginnings in the art world took place in the British capital itself.
Introducing the retrospective — which will open to the public at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice from 25 April to 19 October 2026, before moving to the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 21 November 2026 to 14 March 2027 — were Gražina Subelytė, Associate Curator of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and Simon Grant, Guest Curator of the exhibition.
Ambassador Inigo Lambertini expressed the Embassy’s satisfaction in supporting this important cultural collaboration. “The Embassy of Italy is proud to support and celebrate the partnership between the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the Royal Academy of Arts,” he said, noting that this represents “another example of how Italy and the United Kingdom are united in promoting culture and artistic excellence.”
The exhibition shines a light on the years when Peggy Guggenheim opened her first art gallery in London, Guggenheim Jeune. In just eighteen months, between January 1938 and June 1939, the gallery became a reference point for the avant-garde of the time, promoting both British and international artists associated with the abstract and surrealist movements.
Through artworks, documents, and personal accounts, the exhibition explores a crucial period in Peggy Guggenheim’s development as a collector and patron, highlighting the network of friendships and collaborations that influenced her artistic vision — a circle that included figures such as Marcel Duchamp, Samuel Beckett, and Mary Reynolds.
