In summation

a view of Peggy Guggenheim's Venice palazzo, 1953

a view of Peggy Guggenheim sunbathing at
Peggy Guggenheim's Venice palazzo, 1953
(images from LIFE's archives, of course)

Plundering the current issue of Vanity Fair, an article on the current state of the Plaza contained this gem that explains aesthetics succinctly and wonderfully, I think:

"I was distraught when I saw the [redesign]," says a person who lived there in the 60s. "It's neither wonderful old nor brilliant modern."