Watch Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is a biographical documentary that delves deep into the life and legacy of one of the most infamous art collectors of the 20th century. Directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland, this 2015 film chronicles Peggy Guggenheim's rise to greatness, from her wealthy upbringing in New York City to her eventual relocation to Paris, Venice and ultimately the United States.

The documentary features interviews from an array of experts and insiders in the art world, including Jacqueline Bograd Weld, Francine Prose, Hilton Kramer and Marina Abramović, all of whom weigh in on the subject of Peggy Guggenheim's life and career.

Despite being born into a family of great wealth and privilege, Peggy Guggenheim struggled to find her place in the world. After attending various art schools in New York City, she opened her own art gallery, Guggenheim Jeune, in London in 1938, featuring works from emerging contemporary artists such as Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst. This gallery was the first to exhibit surrealist and abstract art in London.

Her ambition to support emerging and experimental artists eventually led her to Paris, where she opened another gallery. There, she lived an extremely bohemian lifestyle, surrounded by artists and intellectuals, and carried on many love affairs with notable artists along the way, including Jean Cocteau and Max Ernst.

In the mid-1940s, World War II forced Peggy to flee Europe and seek refuge in America. There, she became an integral part of the New York art scene, opening yet another gallery and cementing her place as a tastemaker and patron of cutting-edge art.

The film also delves into some of the controversies surrounding Peggy Guggenheim's life, including her sometimes troubled relationships with her children and the more controversial moments of her own behavior, such as her affair with Samuel Beckett and her patronage of Yves Klein's controversial "Anthropometry" series.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the documentary is the way it counterbalances Peggy Guggenheim's personal story with a broader look at the changing landscape of the art world during her lifetime. As the film shows, she was often ahead of the curve, taking risks on artists that others were not yet attuned to. As the documentary unfolds, it becomes clear that Guggenheim's life was a testament to the power of artistic passion and vision, ultimately making her one of the most important figures in modern art history.

Overall, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is a lively and informative documentary that does an outstanding job of presenting the life and legacy of a complex and intriguing woman. Whether you are an art aficionado or simply someone who appreciates a well-told story, this movie is well worth a watch.

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2 and a MetaScore of 68.