In addition to Peggy Guggenheim’s own words from that
interview, the documentary includes interviews with Jacqueline B. Weld as well
as art historians and others who are able to shed some light on this unusual
person. Art historian Donald Kuspit says of Peggy and her art collection, “She
wanted this art as a mirror for her own strangeness.” There is also plenty
of old footage and still photographs, of Peggy Guggenheim and of the artists
that she championed, including Jackson Pollock.
The film tells the story chronologically, and is divided
into sections, based largely on the place she was living at the time. For
example, the first section is “Early Life: New York, 1898-1921.” And this
section gives us some background on her parents and other family members (many
of whom, apparently, were a bit on the crazy side – there are some amusing
anecdotes about some of them). Peggy’s father, Ben Guggenheim died on the
Titanic, though his mistress survived. In the interview, Peggy talks about her
childhood and about her family. When asked if her mother was a good mother,
Peggy replies, “I don’t think there were any good mothers in those days.”
In the next section, “Paris, 1921-1938,” Peggy talks
about many of the artists she met during that period, and we are treated to
footage of people like Man Ray. She also speaks quite candidly about using her
first husband in order to get rid of her virginity (at the age of 23), and
about her relationship with John Holms and the resulting abortions. In “Getting
Serious: London, 1938-1939,” she mentions that she opened her first art gallery
because she believed it would be less expensive than starting a publishing
company. This was the beginning of her passion for exhibiting modern art, and
she was greatly influenced by Marcel Duchamp. By the way, there is an
interesting bit of information on an exhibition put on by the Nazis of examples
of modern art that they wanted the people to dislike. I am fascinated by World
War II, and the section about Paris in 1939-1941 contains an interesting story
about how Peggy Guggenheim managed to purchase a lot of art very cheaply and
get it out of Paris, as well as helping some of the artists escape from the
Nazis. Also interesting is the material on Max Ernst, whom she married. “When
I bought a fur coat once, he was so jealous I had to buy him one also,”
Peggy says in the interview. And there is a shot of Max Ernst in his fur.
But it is after that that the film gets into her
galleries, beginning with Art Of This Century, which opened to the public in
New York in 1942, and which contained a mix of American and European art. This
section contains some excellent footage of the gallery, and the way the art was
presented was just as intriguing as the art itself. After the war, she moved to
Venice, where she opened a museum in 1951. The museum that now houses her
collection there is something I must see during my lifetime. And I think after
watching this film, you’ll want to see it too. For this documentary isn’t
really just about Peggy Guggenheim, but about the art itself. Both are
interesting subjects.
Special Features
The DVD’s special features include several interviews
with folks like Jacqueline B. Weld, artist Marina Abramovic, art historian Dore
Ashton, gallery owner Larry Gagosian, and art historian John Richardson.
Jacqueline B. Weld talks about researching and writing the biography, and
offers more information on Peggy Guggenheim. Marina Abramovic talks about art
and being an artist. The interviews are a total of approximately forty minutes.
The special features also include the Q&A with
director Lisa Immordino Vreeland which followed UK premiere of the film. She
speaks about the film, and also about the art world then and now. This feature
is approximately thirty-one minutes. The film’s trailer is also included.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict was directed by Lisa
Immordino Vreeland, and was released on DVD on October 25, 2016 through Music
Box Films.
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