The Peggy Guggenheim Collection houses a first-class collection of 20th-century art from Dali to Duchamp in a beautiful white palazzo on the Grand Canal, and the Punta della Dogana, a contemporary art centre at the tip of Dorsoduro, contains the modern art collection of Francois Pinault, the CEO of Kering, which owns labels like Gucci and Saint Laurent.

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The Vatican Observatory is located inside the palazzo, complete with a telescope and a world-class collection of meteorites.

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Heavily endowed during the Great Depression it was able to amass a world-class collection at fire sale prices.

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Selections from each collection have been exhibited in over 35 world-class museums.

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In addition to world-class Chinese and Pacific Island displays, the museum boasts a fine Native American collection.

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Property-tax collection is a quarter of what it was in 1970, when the middle class began to flee.

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Mr. Nulty has a collection of more than 400 airplane models plus old ads and posters, TWA first-class menus from 1960s and paper dresses worn by TWA flight attendants.

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