IN MEMORIAM | Agnes Gund (1938 – 2025)

The Parrish shares heartfelt condolences on the passing of Agnes Gund. Agnes was a remarkable woman in all aspects of her life and, certainly not least, for her unfailing passion and support for the arts. A collector in the truest sense, Agnes had the rare courage to champion artists who fell outside of the mainstream, including critical early support for women and artists of color who are often overlooked and underrepresented.

The Parrish is indebted to her unfailing support for our organization and programming. Agnes helped the Museum realize its new, state-of-the-art facility in Watermill, completed in 2012. She also established the Dorothy Lichtenstein ArtsReach Fund in 2017, in support of her longtime friend and to further the Museum’s advocacy for art and social change, allowing the Parrish to collaborate with regional artists, including Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Nation), Darlene Charneco, Candace Hill-Montgomery, and Laurie Lambrecht. She was also a longtime supporter of our exhibitions including Platform: Barthélémy Toguo: The Beauty of Our Voice (2018), Tomashi Jackson: The Land Claim (2021), Mel Kendrick: Seeing Things in Things (2023), our year-long 125th anniversary series, Artists Choose Parrish (2023-2024), Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales (2024) and Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire (2025).

Through her generosity to the Parrish, Agnes helped to ensure that the Museum fulfills its mission to educate our community and provide exposure to artists who have not always received the critical attention and support their work warrants. We will miss Agnes and are grateful for her incredible contributions to the arts.