Confessions of an Art Addict

Peggy Guggenheim, in a candid self-portrait, provides an insider's view of the early days of modern art

Peggy Guggenheim was born into affluence and a lavish lifestyle. Bored with her seemingly “pedestrian” life in New York, she headed for Europe in 1921, where she would sow the seeds for a future as one of modern art’s most important and influential figures.

In the midst of Europe’s avant-garde circles, she reveled in her love affairs with prominent artists and also became a serious collector. Her Guggenheim Jeune gallery in London brought figures such as Brâncusi, Cocteau, Kandinsky, and Arp to the forefront of the art scene. Later her New York gallery would launch the careers of Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell, among others.

In her own inimitable and bawdy style, Peggy gives us an insider’s glimpse into the modern art world with intimate, often surprising portrayals of its most significant players. Candid, clever, and always entertaining, here is a memoir that captures a valuable chapter in the history of modern art, as well as the spirit of one of its greatest advocates.

A patron of art since the 1930s, Peggy Guggenheim, in a candid self-portrait, provides an insider's view of the early days of modern art, with revealing accounts of her eccentric wealthy family, her personal and professional relationships, and often surprising portrayals of the artists themselves. Here is a book that captures a valuable chapter in the history of modern art, as well as the spirit of one of its greatest advocates.

“Even today when the tell-all memoir and reality TV have raised the bar for candid self-exposure, much of what Peggy Guggenheim says still seems fresh and daring.” - Francine Prose, from Peggy Guggenheim: The Shock of the Modern

“Guggenheim lived and breathed art, and behaved as creatively as the artists she adored.” - Vogue