The Making of Peggy Guggenheim
The article “The Making of Peggy Guggenheim”, written by Joanna Moorhead and published in the Observer on the 18. April 2026, explores the short but transformative London gallery venture of Peggy Guggenheim, the pioneering collector who reshaped British perceptions of contemporary art while demonstrating a groundbreaking commitment to supporting women in the art world.
The article recounts how Peggy Guggenheim opened Guggenheim Jeune in 1937, a gallery in a former Piccadilly pawn shop, aiming to establish a British Museum of Modern Art. At that time London’s art scene was mostly conservative and largely indifferent to contemporary art: The Tate frequently rejected contemporary works and abstract sculpture was mostly met with hostility. Despite these challenges, Peggy brought the work of living artists into the city. She launched exhibitions featuring artists like Jean Cocteau, Wassily Kandinsky and Lucian Freud, often facing public outrage and bureaucratic hurdles along the way.
Guggenheim Jeune was also notable for its progressive approach to gender. Peggy intentionally cultivated a team of women curators and advisors, including Wyn Henderson, Mary Reynolds, and Nelly van Doesburg, and significantly exhibited the work of female artists such as Rita Kernn-Larsen and Grace Pailthorpe. By providing opportunities behind the scenes and on the gallery walls, she created a space in which women could participate in a male-dominated cultural sphere.
Despite its short lifespan, closing in June 1939 due to the impending war, Guggenheim Jeune had a lasting impact on British art culture, showcasing abstract sculpture, collage and accessible art sales. The article notes that the London venture not only helped to reshaped modern art appreciation but also laid the foundation for Peggy Guggenheim’s later galleries in New York and Venice, where she continued her legacy as a visionary collector by advancing both – innovative modern art and the recognition of women in the arts.
