Peggy Guggenheim and the Gallery That Jolted London Awake

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

Before Peggy Guggenheim became synonymous with one of the world’s greatest collections of modern art, she made her mark in London. Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector explores the remarkable story of Guggenheim Jeune, the gallery she opened on Cork Street in 1938 that introduced British audiences to the latest developments in Surrealism and abstraction.

Located just a short walk from the Royal Academy, Guggenheim Jeune quickly became one of London’s most progressive galleries. In only eighteen months, Peggy Guggenheim organised more than twenty exhibitions, including the first UK solo exhibitions of Vasily Kandinsky, Jean Cocteau and Yves Tanguy, the country’s first exhibition dedicated to collage, and a contemporary sculpture show that sparked public controversy.

The exhibition brings together more than eighty works spanning painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, prints and photography. Featuring artists including Eileen Agar, Salvador Dalí, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Vasily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Cedric Morris and Rita Kernn-Larsen, it recreates the pioneering spirit of Guggenheim’s gallery while revealing how these exhibitions shaped both Britain’s artistic landscape and Guggenheim’s own vision as a collector.

Alongside celebrated artworks, visitors will discover photographs, jewellery, archival material and personal objects that offer a glimpse into the network of artists, writers and thinkers who influenced Guggenheim during this defining period. The exhibition traces how her fearless approach to collecting began in London before eventually leading to the creation of the celebrated Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

Organised by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, the exhibition highlights a brief but transformative chapter in twentieth-century art history, demonstrating how one small gallery helped reshape the future of modern art.

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

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