Peggy Guggenheim, wearing her fabulous sunglasses, with her dog in Venice

When I studied abroad in Rome many moons ago, we took a class trip to Venice one weekend. One of my favorite sights on our tour was our visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. Amidst all of the exquisite older art and architecture I had experienced in Italy, it was a welcomed treat to see some contemporary art from Europe and America from the early 20th century.

Peggy Guggenheim’s home, an unfinished palace along the canals of Venice, had been opened annually to the public since 1951 by Guggenheim herself and finally turned into a permanent stage for her art collection in 1980 shortly after her death.

I remember buying a t-shirt with a cartoon drawing of the museum that has since become part of a memorabilia t-shirt quilt. The photos in the museum of Peggy Guggenheim herself left an impression. I really wanted the sunglasses she wore all the time, but did not have the money to buy them. One day I will buy myself a pair of the fabulously eccentric sunglasses designed by American artist Edward Melcarth for Ms. Guggenheim (available at the Guggenheim Online Store. They are utterly tremendous.