With an unmistakable name, Peggy Guggenheim created waves in the art world as an unstoppable collector, connector and socialite. Stefan Moses spent time with Guggenheim in her later years, between 1969 and 1974, photographing her wandering out and about, and at home in Venice amongst her vast amounts of Abstract Expressionist, Surrealist and Dada works by prominent figures—some of whom credit her with their discovery.

She was the daughter of the businessman Benjamin Guggenheim (who, completely unrelatedly and entirely anecdotally, perished aboard the Titanic in 1912 when it sank, having changed into his best evening wear, sipping brandy and smoking cigars in deck chairs with his valet), and she was the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, the namesake to the famed art museum in New York City. Guggenheim was born into wealth and privilege, instilled with a sense of dignity that is palpable in many of Moses’ portraits. They now appear in a newly released book called Encounters with Peggy Guggenheim: An Intimate Collection of Behind-the-Scenes Photos Featuring the Legendary Art Collector.

This time-capsule glimpse shows on-location shooting with a rather reserved yet glamorous subject (wedding and fashion photographers can relate) as well as an inside look at life with a notable figure as she relaxes among her treasures. Moses, a Poland-born and German-residing photographer who narrowly escaped from a Nazi concentration camp during World War II before continuing with his work, died last year. Timely as ever, Encounters with Peggy Guggenheim is a deeply personal collection at which to gawk, maybe, but also from which to glean.

Price: $29.99
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