The failure to complete it, most likely, was caused by the Corner family that at the time was the owner of a building on the opposite bank of the Grand Canal. In fact, these tried in every way to block the construction of the building, precisely because of the fear that the new work could exceed theirs in beauty and height.
Venier dei Leoni Palace is located in the suggestive Dorsoduro district, along the course of the Grand Canal, a few steps from the Santa Maria della Salute Basilica. The structure has an ashlar facade in Istrian stone, with large lion masks in contact with the water.
The main entrance was originally made up of an early return from a high gate, open onto a large terrace overlooking the famous Grand Canal and one of its bridges, the Academy bridge.
In 1949 the building was purchased as a residence by the American billionaire collector Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979), who, two years later, brought her avant-garde art collection there. Lively and bright woman favored the career of many innovative artists, including Max Ernst, who later became her second husband.
The collection includes paintings and sculptures that represent all the artistic movements of the twentieth century, from Pablo Picasso, to Jackson Pollock, Mirò, De Chirico, Magritte, Kandinsky, Mondrian and Melevich. Furthermore, the exhibited works are part of some emerging examples of American modernism and Italian futurism. After her death in 1979, Peggy Guggenheim was buried in an urn placed in a corner of the private garden with all her dogs.
