Peggy Guggenheim Collection opens new sculpture garden
Giorgio Bellavitis extends outdoor exhibition space in Venetian Museum
New sculptures by Flanagan, Holzer, Nivola and Paladino on display
One of the major attractions for visitors to Peggy Guggenheim’s collection of 20th century art exhibited in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice is the outdoor sculpture garden. A new part of the garden, landscaped by noted Venetian architect Giorgio Bellavitis, opens today. The long diamond drawn on the paving, with alternating brick, Chiampo marble and green granite, echoes the geometric diagrams that distinguish the Peggy Guggenheim Collection’s Nasher Sculpture Garden, also designed by Giorgio Bellavitis in 1983 and 1995. Bellavitis was inspired by garden designs visible in the well-known aerial view of the Giudecca Island by 18th century cartographer Ludovico Ughi.
The creation of the new sculpture garden has been financed by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board, by Intrapresae Collezione Guggenheim, and by The Henry Moore Foundation.
Several new sculptures by contemporary artists, which have been given to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation this year, are now permanently displayed in the garden. These are H’om by Barry Flanagan (British, b. 1941), Garden Bench, by Jenny Holzer (USA, b. 1950), Untitled by Costantino Nivola (Italy, USA, 1911-88) and The Cloven Viscount by Mimmo Paladino (Italy, b. 1948). A copper wall relief by Mirko Basaldella (Italy, 1910-69), belonging to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, titled Architectual Element—Lines of Force in Space (1953), is also on display.
The new sculpture garden is part of the ongoing expansion of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, with the purpose of increasing exhibition space, and improving services to the visiting public. The collecting of works of modern art is central to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s museum mission.
The programs of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection are made possible by the support of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board, Banca del Gottardo, Regione Veneto, and:
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INTRAPRESÆ COLLEZIONE GUGGENHEIM