Greatest collector of Zsolnay art dies: Hungary mourns László Gyugyi

László Gyugyi, whose unparalleled collection of over 700 rare Zsolnay porcelain pieces became a centrepiece of the Zsolnay Quarter in Pécs, in southern Hungary, has died, aged 91, the collection’s curator said on Saturday.

Greatest Zsolnay collector Gyugyi dies at 91

László Gyugyi’s unparalleled collection of over 700 rare Zsolnay porcelain pieces became a centrepiece of the Zsolnay Quarter in Pécs. He died at the age of 91. Photo: MTI/Sóki Tamás

Gyugyi left Hungary in 1956, while a student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and settled first in London and emigrated later to the United States, where he worked as an electrical engineer. He acquired his first piece of Zsolnay porcelain in 1974, after which he amassed an unmatched collection of rare pieces from the manufacturer’s golden age, the curator said in a statement.

The local council of Pécs purchased Gyugyi’s collection of 588 rare Zsolnay pieces in 2010 for 1.3 million euros and pledged to keep it on public display.

Gyugyi was an esteemed “guest” in Pécs where he returned as a visitor on a regular basis and received an honorary citizenship ten years ago, according to the statement.

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