Peggy Guggenheim's Grave

Peggy Guggenheim’s ashes are interred in her private palazzo and museum in Venice, and her companions in death are much the same as her companions in life. It’s her beloved “babies,” her 14 Lhasa Apsos.

The niece of Solomon Guggenheim, founder of the famed Guggenheim Museum, Peggy Guggenheim was arguably the greatest art collector and patron of the 20th century. She eventually opened her private collection to the public, and it soon became one of the most popular museums in Italy and the most visited in Venice.

After she died of a stroke in 1979, Peggy Guggenheim’s ashes were interred in her palazzo, Vernier dei Leoni, which is connected to the museum. Here, visitors can drop by to see the stately plaque commemorating the art lover. However, the plaque next to Peggy’s eulogize those she loved most. It’s not one of her many lovers or her ex-husband, painter Max Ernst. Peggy had Cappuccino, Peacock, Pegeen, Toro, Foglia, Madam Butterfly, Baby, Emily, White Angel, Sir Herbert, Sable, Gypsy, Hong Kong, and Cellida interred next to her so that they might spend the afterlife together.