Peggy Guggenheim Collection

An unfinished palace on the Grand Canal where an American heiress lived for thirty years with her art, her dogs, and one of the sharpest personal collections of 20th-century art in Europe.

Price: €18 adults · €9 students 10–25
Hours: Wed–Mon 10am–6pm · closed Tuesdays
Avg. visit: 90 minutes
Book ahead: Recommended, rarely essential

The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was begun in the 18th century and never finished beyond a single low storey — the family that commissioned it ran out of money, leaving Venice with an unusually flat, modern-feeling palace on a canal otherwise lined with towering Gothic and Renaissance facades. Peggy Guggenheim bought it in 1949 and lived there for the next thirty years, filling it with the collection she'd assembled across Europe and America, often buying directly from artists she knew personally.

The result is a sharp, deeply personal survey of European and American modernism rather than an encyclopaedic museum collection: Pollock, Ernst (her second husband), Picasso, Duchamp, Magritte, Brancusi, and more, hung in rooms that still feel domestic in scale rather than institutional. A sculpture garden and a canal-facing terrace extend the collection outdoors, and Guggenheim herself is buried in the garden alongside her dogs.

Inside

What to see

Major works by Pollock, Ernst, Picasso, Duchamp, Magritte and Brancusi
The Nasher Sculpture Garden, where Guggenheim is buried
The canal-facing terrace overlooking the Grand Canal
Rotating temporary exhibitions drawn from the wider Guggenheim network

Practical

Good to know

It's a welcome change of register if the Renaissance is starting to blur together after several days of it.
Part of the Dorsoduro Museum Mile — a ticket from another participating museum gets a reduced rate here.
Closed on Tuesdays, unlike most Venice museums, which typically close Mondays — plan around this if combining venues.

Timing

When it's busiest

Morning: Quiet
Midday: Moderate
Afternoon: Moderate
Last hour: Quiet

Nearby

Combine your visit

5-minute walk

Gallerie dell'Accademia

Walk back five centuries into Venice's own painting tradition.

Visit →

5-minute walk

Santa Maria della Salute

The great domed church sits just along the same stretch of canal.

Visit →

Board at Accademia or Salute

The Grand Canal by vaporetto

Continue toward San Marco or the station by water from either stop.

Visit →

FAQ

Common questions

Why is the building so different from its neighbours?

It was never finished — construction stopped after a single storey in the 18th century, leaving an unusually low, flat facade on a canal otherwise dominated by taller Gothic and Renaissance palaces.

Is Peggy Guggenheim actually buried here?

Yes — she's buried in the sculpture garden, alongside a small memorial to her dogs, who are buried nearby.

What day is it closed?

Tuesdays — unlike most Venice museums, which typically close Mondays. Double-check this if you're planning a multi-museum day.

Is this worth it if I've already done the Accademia?

Yes — the two collections are complementary rather than repetitive. The Accademia covers five centuries of Venetian tradition; this collection is a tight, personal survey of European and American modernism from one collector's own eye.