Intimate and urgent' Financial Times 'A vivid portrait of a tumultuous 20th century life' Mail
on Sunday 'A rich and rewarding read' Daily Telegraph 'I was a liberated woman long before
there was a name for it' PEGGY GUGGENHEIM VENICE 1958. Peggy Guggenheim heiress and now
legendary art collector sits in the sun at her white marble palazzo on the Grand Canal. Hers
has been a thrilling tragic near-impossible journey. She has defied every expectation
followed her heart and finally found contentment. She is independent. She is a true original.
And she'll never stop believing in the transformative power of art. Peggy is fourteen when her
father dies on the Titanic and her cloistered life is turned upside down. The youngest daughter
of two Jewish dynasties Peggy is determined to pursue a life of passion and personal freedom.
But unexpected restrictions come with her vast fortune. As society changes and war sweeps
through Europe she navigates the decadent sexist and anti-Semitic art worlds of New York and
Paris. She loves and is loved - sometimes for herself often for her money - yet no-one ever
takes her intellect talent or vision seriously. Until she learns to believe in it herself.
Rebecca Godfrey's final book - completed by her friend the acclaimed bestseller Leslie Jamison
following Godfrey's death in 2022 - brings to life the singular woman who helped make the
Guggenheim name synonymous with art and genius.
