LONDON’S PEGGY GUGGENHEIM EXHIBITION IS BOTTEGA VENETA-APPROVED

Opening at London’s Royal Academy of Arts on the 21st of November 2026, Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector gives you the unique opportunity to step into a 1930s Guggenheim gallery. The programme includes some of the most significant artworks from the gallery’s original programme alongside other works that define the period. Receiving Bottega Veneta’s official stamp of approval, this exhibition ties back to Guggenheim’s deep connection to Venice — where she would later establish her legendary collection — acting as a mutual celebration of each other’s culture, craftsmanship, and commitment to creativity.

Peggy Guggenheim on the roof-terrace of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venice, early 1950s. Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Photo: Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche, Gift, Cassa di Risparmio di Venezia, 2005.

Founded by Peggy Guggenheim in 1938 just steps from the Royal Academy, Guggenheim Jeune presented more than 20 exhibitions of abstract and Surrealist art before closing in June 1939. This exhibition will serve as an honorary reincarnation, allowing the public to revisit the iconic gallery in a contemporary 21st-century setting.
Bringing many of these works back to the British capital for the first time since their original presentation at Guggenheim Jeune, the exhibition traces the beginnings of what would later become the renowned Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

Like Bottega Veneta, Peggy Guggenheim’s story is deeply woven into the cultural landscape of Venice, where she established her home and created a lasting legacy through her pioneering approach to collecting and her unwavering support of artists. Through an instinctive and deeply personal approach to fostering art, she created a space where artists, ideas, and cultures continue to come together in dialogue. Guided by this unique worldview, her belief in creativity as a force for transformation continues to define the city’s artistic identity.

Gisèle Freund, Herbert Read and Peggy Guggenheim, 1939 (printed 1977). Colour photograph, 46 × 35 cm. Peggy Guggenheim Collection Archives, Venice. Purchase courtesy Ikona Gallery, Venice, 1988. © Photo Gisèle Freund / IMEC / Fonds MCC. 

Sharing this profound connection with Venice makes Bottega’s support all the more understandable, especially considering their shared commitment to artistry and creative freedom. This joining of forces positions Venice as a contemporary hub for culture and creativity, while reinforcing their own artistic values.

Curated Gražina Subelytė Simon Grant andSylvie Broussine, the partnership with the Royal Academy of Arts builds on the house’s ongoing collaborations with leading cultural institutions across the globe, including Punta della Dogana, Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, Bangkok Kunsthalle, and the Pier Luigi Nervi Foundation in Venice. After London, it will travel to the Guggenheim New York in April 2027, returning to its namesake, 

Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector runs from 21 November 2026 –14 March 2027 at the Royal Academy of Arts.