Homage to William Feick Jr.
A bronze portrait of William (‘Bill’) Feick, Jr. (1924-2000), given by Rosemary Chisholm Feick, his widow, has been placed in the new entrance foyer of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection at 704 Dorsoduro. The bust is by Italian artist Alberto Rocchi. This commemorates William Feick’s leading role as chairman of two Capital Campaigns (1993-1996 and 1999-2003) which have made possible the expansion of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on its Palazzo Venier dei Leoni site, on the Grand Canal of Venice. In particular the second Capital Campaign enabled the freehold purchase in 2001 of a 300 sq. m. property at 704 Dorsoduro, on the south west corner of the site. The latter property, converted for museum uses, was inaugurated on October 10, 2003. Others who have made important contributions to the Capital Campaign are named in a plaque, which has also been placed in the new museum entrance near the portait of William Feick, and include members of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board, Intrapresae Collezione Guggenheim, Banca del Gottardo, Progetto Lissone, Enel, and the Regione del Veneto.
William Feick was a Captain in the United States Navy during World War II. He graduated from Amherst College in 1947 and joined the Crocker Bank in San Francisco. He subsequently filled leading positions in a number of financial institutions and from 1987 was Managing Director of William D. Witter, New York. He joined the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board in 1986, where he met his future wife Rosemary Chisholm, who had joined the Board a year earlier. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection has benefited greatly from Bill Feick’s love of Venice and his commitment to the museum. The inscription beneath the portrait-bust reads: “Thanks to his leadership and generosity, together with that of his wife Rosemary Chisholm Feick, this building was acquired and converted with funds raised by a capital campaign led by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board.”
Institutional Patrons: Banca del Gottardo, Ras, Regione Veneto
The programs of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection are made possible by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board and Intrapresæ Collezione Guggenheim.