Finally, Venice ascends at the end of the 19th century and appealed strongly to individuals with more modern sensibilities. The lure of Venice was often rooted in the perception of it as a city of decadence, mystery, and extreme aestheticism, made most evident in the works of American artist James McNeil Whistler. With the founding of the Biennale and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice became an important venue for the exhibition of emerging international modern and contemporary art.