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FAMOUSLY FLAMBOYANT JEWELS. Ralph Lauren Modern Art Deco pendant necklace $35,000, at the Ralph Lauren boutique. When amassing a singular art collection in the exuberant manner of Doris Duke, Peggy Guggenheim, Dominique de Menil or Helena Rubenstein, one's aesthetic appreciation must extend well beyond acquisition. Think lovers, dogs, furniture, jewels and couture gowns … These women cultivated the avant- garde and exemplify a total understanding and appreciation of a life well lived. Herein, a field guide to the art patroness and the world in which she lives. BY MEGAN PRUITT WINDER, SETH VAUGHAN AND ANNA SCHUSTER THEARTPATRONESS PEGGY GUGGENHEIM Peggy was a woman known for her two great loves: art and sex. Born into a wealthy Jewish family, she irrevocably changed the contemporary art landscape, introducing Cubist, Abstract and Surrealist movements into society at large. (Indeed, it was her uncle who founded the Guggenheim on Manhattan's Upper East Side.) But astonishingly, she collected for only eight of her 80 years — during World War II, during which time she bought a piece a day from Picasso, Cézanne, Matisse, Braque, Dalí, Mondrian and Leger. Once the war ended, she introduced these newly discovered artists to New York audiences, including the creations of a nascent Jackson Pollock, in her famed gallery, Art of This Century, which she ran with her third husband, artist Max Ernst. (His predecessors were English intellect John Holms and Laurence Vail.) It was in Venice, where she was exhibiting her collection, that she permanently settled, moving into the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, where she held showings of her sculptures in the gardens. Eventually she opened her home to the public every summer. The one constant: Her peculiar proclivities, which included unusual accessories (beguiling jewels, batwing and butterfly eyewear, and red lipstick); original garments from Fortuny and Ken Scott; and, perhaps most famously, an insatiable sexual appetite. Megan Winder DORIS DUKE Doris Duke was fated to live a life of epic misery. Her father died when she was 12 and left his fortune ($50 million in 1925) to her; reportedly her mother forever tried to rob her of her fortune. Yet Doris became a CIA agent in wartime Italy and an international correspondent for Hearst's news service and the Paris bureau of Harper's Bazaar. Weary of work, she took up world travel, collecting 2,000 bottles of rare wine; fine art by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Monet; and even camels. She split her time between homes in Manhattan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Beverly Hills, but her heart resided at her Shangri La home in Honolulu, resplendent with Islamic art and architecture commissioned from Indian, Iranian, Moroccan and Syrian artisans. Here, she attained that most elusive state: solace from the public eye. Anna Schuster TRADEMARK. Known for her signature Edward Melcarth sunnies … Charlotte Olympia Sunny tote $895, at net-a-porter.com. INCOGNITO. Deigning the glare of the spotlight, she sought escape from the public glare. Tom Ford Nastasya Cat Eye sunglasses $380, at Neiman Marcus. LUSH LIFE. Gardening offered great solace to Doris. Dolce & Gabbana floral brocade clutch $1,345, at Saks Fifth Avenue. Doris Duke's Shangri-La: A House in Paradise: Architecture, Landscape, and Islamic Art $55, at rizzolibookstore.com. TOWERING HEIRESS At 6 feet tall, Doris championed flats; a favored iconic pair was crafted by the Taj of India. Tabitha Simmons silk printed espadrilles $395, at Saks Fifth Avenue. LOVER OF ANIMALS. Doris especially had a soft spot for dogs and camels. Jay Strongwater Swarovski crystal camel figure $6,500, at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue. TURKISH TOGS. Peggy once sat on a Byzantine throne in her garden, donning a Ken Scott caftan from a cloth that was donated by a Turkish Sultan guest. Roberto Cavalli caftan, price upon request, at Neiman Marcus, Tootsies. POSING IN POIRET. To please her bon-vivant husband, Laurence Vail, Peggy wore a lot of Paul Poiret designs. But she didn't like to. "My hips grew in those wonderful clothes," she would say. Lanvin embellished brocade dress $7,585, at Neiman Marcus, Tootsies. IMPARTIAL ORNAMENTATION. Hervé Van Der Straeten earrings $627, at Neiman Marcus. A PASSION FOR PRACTICALITY Peggy was a fan of practical clothing and ghillie wedges, enhanced with ad hoc accessories. Sophia Webster Raya wedges $850, at net-a-porter.com. TALENT SCOUT. Peggy was an early champion of Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock's Black and White, 1952, at Sotheby's New York Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 14, 2014. PRIZED PUPS. Peggy owned 14 prized Lhasa Apso dogs; she was interred next to them. Stubbs & Wootton Bespoke Bichon Frise velvet slippers $500, at stubbsandwootton.com. PEGGY CALLED ALEXANDER CALDER A FRIEND. Design Within Reach Ekko mobile $295, at Design Within Reach. ROOFTOP SUNBATHING at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on The Grand Canal (now the Venice Guggenheim Museum). Moschino swimsuit $350, at net-a- porter. A WOMAN OF 1,000 LOVERS Olympia Le-Tan embroidered clutch $1,880, at net-a-porter.com. Peggy Guggenheim in a luxurious, oriental patterned Poiret dress Peggy Guggenheim with her dogs on the roof of her Venetian palazzo by David Seymour, 1950 SHE ADORNED HERSELF IN GLOBAL TRINKETS. Gold-tone equestrian and brown suede belt from the estate of Doris Duke $750, at 1stdibs.com. Sale on May 14, 2014. RED LIPS. A woman of little maintenance, with a red-lip exception. Tom Ford Crimson Noir lipstick $49, at Neiman Marcus. FASHION MINIMALIST. Doris was often spotted in Moroccan caftans. Naeem Khan beaded pantsuit price upon request at Tootsies. FAVORITE PASTIME. Doris was the first competitive women's surfer — and lover of Hawaiian surf pro Duke Kahanamoku. Cover houndstooth swimsuit $190, at neiman marcus.com. A MUSE. She often wore David Webb's jewels. David Webb 18K yellow gold, emerald, ruby and diamond four-carat earrings $54,500, at Tenenbaum & Co. LIGHTING UP. The tobacco heiress transformed millions into billions through savvy investments. S.T. Dupont diamond head lighter $1,300, at Saks Fifth Avenue. Doris Duke, circa 1939 DELPHOS DRESSES. Particularly fond of Fortuny's pleated Delphos frocks. Chloé Medallion jacquard fil coupe dress $7,650, to order at Chloé Madison Avenue, 212.717.8220. DELPHOS DRESSES. Particularly fond of Fortuny's pleated Delphos frocks. Chloé Medallion jacquard fil coupe dress $7,650, to order at Chloé Madison Avenue, 212.717.8220. STOMPING GROUNDS. In The Spirit of Venice book $45, at assouline.com. ARTISTIC ODE. Andrew Gn Spring 2014 Peggy Guggenheim- inspired collection: Georgette top $1,105, and Celadon Mikado shorts $940.