Venice 2016, destination the Peggy Guggenheim Collection housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni. The Palazzo was Peggy Guggenheim’s Venetian home for thirty years. It contained her private art collection until the residence became a museum in the 198O’s. The museum houses a significant collection of European and American 20th century art, along with temporary exhibitions. 
We hadn’t pre-booked; a long queue snaked along the path. The prospect of navigating the gallery to glimpse through crowds at the artworks deterred us. Disappointed, we retreated from the squat, incomplete villa.

A journey through architectural time and space

Venice is a city of cultural layers. Architect Lorenzo Boschetti designed the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in 1749. I wondered whether Boschetti was disappointed that his plans for a multi-storied villa never materialised. Or did he just move on to the next project.
Two hundred years later, an immensely wealthy American patron of the arts would come to own the Palazzo.
Imagine if he knew that in 2016 some 413,499 people would visit the partially completed building that he had designed.

On the same day, we discovered the Palazzo Franchetti, also on the Grand Canal. It is the venue used by the Istituto Benito di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti to hold cultural events. Built in1565, the alterations done in the 19th Century imbued it with a neo-gothic style.
By chance there was an art exhibition at the Palazzo, Joseph Klibanksy’s Beautiful Tomorrow.
Outside, beckoning us to explore, was a 9-metre white spaceman. Balanced on top of a huge chair, it towered above the tiny grassed garden. The two exquisite pieces pictured above were my favourites. For me the 3-D works held more interest than the mixed media paintings.
We spent an enjoyable hour at the Palazzo Franchetti without having to navigate around masses of people. Wherever you go in Venice you will come across an art experience.