Photo by WatsonEvansArt on February 24, 2026.
By Watson Evans Art
“We are more amateurs than collectors, we were never looking for ‘acquisitions’. With each piece it was a coup de foudre”.
The art collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg has been built over the last four decades.
As collecting art should be it has never been just about one category or one moment. Alongside paintings and works on paper, they have incorporated sculpture, design, furniture and lighting: creating a home where 20th Century art and design sit naturally together. Works by Mark Rothko, Claude Lalanne and Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Alberto Giacometti, Agnes Martin and Alexander Calder from part of the story. Each piece chosen not as an “investment strategy” but because it meant something.
Over time they allowed the collection to evolve and have included more contemporary voices like Anselm Reyle and Mark Grotjahn, not to follow a trend but as a natural continuation of their curiosity.
Most importantly these works are lived with. They are in their home. The sit beside desks, under lights and around tables. They hold memories, of conversations, of children growing up, of everyday life, unfolding around them.
A meaningful collection isn’t built overnight and isn’t built with only investment in mind. It is layered over time, shaped by instinct and becomes part of a well-lived life.