This spring the public will have the unique opportunity of seeing world-class works of art normally on display in Venice, Italy, when the Art Gallery of Western Australia hosts Peggy Guggenheim: A Collection in Venice, the first exhibition of a new series entitled Great Collections of the World.

Tourism Minister Liz Constable and Culture and the Arts Minister John Day have announced that the Gallery will host a series of annual spring exhibitions featuring Great Collections of the World, commencing with Peggy Guggenheim: A Collection in Venice from 9 October 2010 to 31 January 2011.

Stefano Carboni, Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and a native of Venice, said, “The Peggy Guggenheim Collection has never previously been presented in Australia and the Gallery has been collaborating closely with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice to bring this exhibition to Western Australia. Perth will be the only venue for this unique exhibition which will captivate Australian audiences with both the outstanding quality of the art and the intriguing personal story of Peggy Guggenheim.”

Dr Carboni said that it has been his vision for the Art Gallery of Western Australia to present a series of high-calibre, highly focused exhibitions from internationally celebrated institutions, and it gave him great pleasure to have been able to secure the first exhibition from such a prestigious museum in his birthplace, Venice.

The works in the exhibition display Peggy Guggenheim’s love of art, and in particular her strong affinity for two key artistic movements of 20th Century modern art: Surrealism and Abstraction. Also on display will be personal photos and items which belonged to Peggy, such as a pair of her famous sunglasses.

The exhibition at the Gallery will present the vitality created by the combination of European and American artists that transformed Modernist art throughout the world, and will feature works by Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Piet Mondrian, Constantin Brancusi, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, with an essay by Philip Rylands, Director of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

Tickets will be on sale from Wednesday 19 May at the Art Gallery Shop and through BOCS Ticketing. Call BOCS on 9484 1133 or visit: http://www.bocsticketing.com.au

Adults $20,
Concessions $16,
Children (16 years and under) $12,
Family (2 adults + 2 children) $50.

This exhibition has been organised by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York and the Art Gallery of Western Australia.