About The Film

Rebellious American socialite Peggy Guggenheim is one of the most colorful figures in modern art. She spent a lifetime—and a fortune—breaking society’s rules to become one of the preeminent art collectors of the 20th century and a tireless champion of the avant-garde. This absorbing documentary charts her rise from Jewish heiress (her financier father died on the Titanic) to bohemian tastemaker, as she helped discover, support, and promote the early careers of such talents as Salvador Dali, Wassily Kandinsky, Robert Motherwell, and Jackson Pollock. She single-handedly forged a groundbreaking career as an independent gallery owner and collector while moving through a series of sexual liaisons (and the occasional marriage) with brilliant artists including Samuel Beckett, Paul Bowles, and Max Ernst. This sharply put-together film is consistently entertaining and richly illustrated through Guggenheim’s art collection. It features interviews with her contemporaries and friends as well as rare audio interviews with Guggenheim herself.

Director Bio

Lisa Immordino Vreeland captured the Silver Hugo Best Documentary Award for DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL at the 2011 Chicago International Film Festival.

Community Partner:

• The Summit at First Hill/Kline Galland Home