Robert Motherwell on the Influence of Peggy Guggenheim

“I might never have done it otherwise,” Robert Motherwell said of trying his hand at papier collé—the cutting, tearing, and pasting technique he began upon the suggestion of Peggy Guggenheim. Later renowned for his intimate and often autobiographical collages, Motherwell was open to acknowledge this defining moment in his early career. “It was there that I found ... my ‘identity.’”

Robert Motherwell: Early Collages is on view at Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, through September 8, 2013.