CLUB by Carol Strametz
A small but enthusiastic group of book friends met in person over Venetian delicacies — shrimps , cicchetti , Aperol Spritz — and French desserts to discuss The Unfinished Palazzo and Kiki Man Ray . Both are nonfiction books that delve into the lives of prominent figures in the art world and their respective cities . While they share common themes of art , love , and rivalry , the central figures and narrative focuses are different . The consensus was that these would not be typical book choices for all , but that they were interesting reads .
The Unfinished Palazzo focuses on three wealthy , eccentric women : Marchesa Luisa Casati , Doris Castlerosse , and Peggy Guggenheim . Each owned the unfinished Palazzo Venier dei Leoni , planned as the grandest palazzo on the Grand Canal but only finished to the ground floor , the magnificent upper two floors appearing only on the architectural drawings from the eighteenth century . It is the palazzo — eccentric in its own right — that provides the historical thread to tie these three women together . The social and cultural life of Venice outside of the Palazzo Venier does not play a major role in this book .
The Marchesa Louisa Casati , a rich heiress from Milan , acquired the palazzo in 1910 . Luisa considered her life and herself a work of art and indulged in an extravagant and unconventional lifestyle . She donned extravagant and outlandish attire , which included a live cobra as a stole . Her lavish parties , featuring very eerie ostentations , attracted prominent artists , writers , and intellectuals . She was a muse and patron of art , but in the end she squandered her immense fortune and died poor at age seventysix in London . The author discusses her possible affliction with Asperger syndrome , but she was also a reflection of the bohemian spirit of the early twentieth century .
Doris Castlerosse , socialite and actress , took possession of the palazzo in the summer of 1938 . Doris moved in elite circles and was notorious for her romantic relationships with rich and powerful men , including Winston Churchill , as well as his son , Randolph . Her beauty and charm attracted many admirers , including the prominent artists Cecil Beaton , Man Ray , and Edward Steichen , who all photographed her , contributing to her legacy as a muse . Doris resided only briefly at the palazzo , leaving in 1941 , when Italy was in the midst of World War II , but she did bring in an Art Deco ostentation and installed bathrooms . She died in 1942 at age forty-two of an accidental overdose of barbiturates , according to official records .
Peggy Guggenheim , American art collector and gallerist , bought the palazzo in 1948 and turned it into her home and also the renowned museum of modern art , the Peggy Guggenheim Collection . Her vision was to create a space where contemporary and avant-garde art could be displayed and celebrated . She transformed Doris ’ s bathrooms into galleries and successfully pursued her vision to ensure the preservation and accessibility of her collection . Peggy was known for her eccentric personality and her various romantic and volatile relationships with artists and writers , including Samuel Beckett , Dunja Barnes , and Max Ernst . Sadly , her relationship with her children was complicated and broken . She died alone in 1979 at age eighty-one .
Kiki Man Ray explores the lives and tumultuous relationship of Kiki de Montparnasse ( Alice Prin ) and Man Ray , as well as their interactions with other influential artists in 1920s Paris . Kiki was a child of poverty , who arrived in Paris and found her way into artists ’ studios at age sixteen to become a model and muse . She also established herself as a nightclub singer , actress , and writer .
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