A Conversation with Charles Zana

For the last thirty years, from Paris to London via New York, Miami and Monaco, Charles Zana has provided finesse and expertise to the world’s most beautiful interiors. In three decades, Zana, who studied architecture at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, has defined his unique style sought by his clients who seek the exclusive vision of this art lover, creatively passionate about design. As a new member of our Design + Art Advisory Council, Charles joined us for a rapid-fire round of questions on dream collaborations, how he decides when a piece is "worth it," and more.

Art + Design

Favorites 

If you could add one museum piece to your personal collection, what would it be?

It would be Brâncuși’s Endless Column (or The Infinite Column).

Which design era or movement most inspires you right now?

The entire global Arts and Crafts movement, both American and French.

Who is an emerging artist or designer you think everyone should know?

FormaFantasma, the Italian designers.

What’s a piece in your collection that always sparks conversation?

The Ancient Totem by Sottsass from 1964, because I find it to be an iconic, charged piece that transcends time.

If you could collaborate with any artist or designer, living or dead, who would it be?

Lucas Arruda, the Brazilian artist. I find that landscapes and settings are truly something that deeply inspire me. I would absolutely love to collaborate with him.

What’s your favorite space you’ve ever visited for its design or art alone?

One of my favorite places for design and art is the Kimbell Museum in Dallas, built by architect Louis Kahn. It’s a place I’ve visited twice in my life. I really love going there to reconnect and recharge with the works of art.

Advice

What’s a lesson you learned the hard way in collecting or curating?

In my opinion, to collect, you have to cultivate yourself a lot and be deeply interested in an artist or a movement.There’s a blend in collecting and acquiring between culture, knowledge, and intuition. Intuition alone isn’t enough, and culture alone isn’t enough. It’s both culture and intuition.

What’s the best question to ask a dealer or gallerist when considering a piece?

How the piece fits within a historical or cultural movement or time period. It’s about how this work fits in and in what way it’s revolutionary—or in what way it’s the most important piece. I’ve always loved collecting the most important piece from an exhibition, the most difficult piece from a show, or the iconic piece of a collection.

What’s one myth about art or design collecting you’d like to debunk?

A myth I would like to debunk is the idea of spontaneous purchases. Again, as I mentioned in the previous question, to truly buy a piece of design or art well, you need knowledge—you need to really know what you're buying and know art history well. Otherwise, it's very difficult. If you can't place a work within a historical context or movement, it's hard to buy it.

How do you decide when a piece is “worth it”?

When I can no longer live without it—when it becomes essential to the construction of my collection.

Plugs

What’s a project from the past year that pushed you creatively?

There are projects that have pushed me creatively—often through house projects—because I’ve met clients, I’ve met collectors. For example, today we’re working on a house in Miami for a family of collectors, and that’s a project that is really pushing me to think differently and toward pieces and artists that can’t be missed.

What’s next on your own creative or collecting horizon?

What I want for my collection now is actually to have fewer pieces, fewer works—but more essential and necessary ones. Maybe there’s a first phase of the collection that I somewhat accumulated, and now I want to be more restrained and keep only the works I would consider iconic or completely indispensable.

Where can people see your work next?

People will be able to see my creations—we have a presentation in Paris in October, during Paris Art Week. From October 22 to 26.

It’s a moment when people will be able to see our collections, and we’re preparing an exhibition in May in New York—it’s not fully finalized yet—but it will be a show where we’ll be able to blend entertainment and design with our collection.