Heidi Horten Collection, Vienna

Heidi Horten, born Jelinek, was a wealthy Austrian art collector. She was born in Vienna on February 13, 1941, and passed away in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee on June 12, 2022.

In 1958, Helmut Horten purchased Villa Dubeau on Cap d'Antibes, designed by Cabinet J.J. & M.P. Rainaut. Villa Dubeau became the couple's favored summer residence during the 1960s and 1970s.

Heidi and Helmut Horten amassed a considerable art collection featuring works by artists such as Schiele, Degas, Renoir, and German expressionists like Emil Nolde and Erich Heckel. Upon Helmut's death in 1987, Heidi inherited a fortune of $1 billion.

With advice from her friend Agnes Husslein, who held a leading position at Sotheby's Austria, Horten steadily expanded her art collection from 1990 onwards. A significant expansion occurred in 1994 with the purchase of works by Chaïm Soutine and Moïse Kiesling at an international auction in Tel Aviv, alongside a bundle of Chagall drawings.

In 1996, Horten made substantial acquisitions at a Sotheby's auction in London, spending $22 million on paintings by Marc Chagall, Auguste Renoir, Paul Klee, Joan Miró, Jean Dubuffet, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon. These acquisitions positioned her collection among the most important European private collections.

Through significant purchases including works by Marc Chagall, Auguste Renoir, Paul Klee, Joan Miró, Jean Dubuffet, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon, Heidi Horten's collection grew to be considered among the most important European private collections.

In the years following 1996, Horten acquired numerous works by German Expressionists, as well as pieces by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, further enriching her collection.

In September 2018, the Leopold Museum in Vienna hosted an exhibition titled ‘WOW! The Heidi Horten Collection’, featuring 170 works from her collection. The exhibition's success inspired Horten to establish her own gallery.

Inspired by the success of the Leopold Museum exhibition, Horten acquired the Hanuschhof, formerly the chancellery of Archduke Friedrich, in Goethestrasse to house her collection. The architectural firm 'The Next Enterprise' renovated the interior into 1500 m² of exhibition space while preserving the facade.

The Heidi Horten Collection gallery, housed in the renovated Hanuschhof, opened its doors on June 3, 2022, just days before Horten's passing. The inaugural exhibition was titled ‘Open’.

In May 2023, Heidi Horten's extensive jewelry collection was auctioned at Christie's, fetching €180 million from an anonymous buyer. Controversy arose regarding the origin of the capital used to finance the collection.

The auction of Heidi Horten's jewelry collection brought to light concerns about the financing of her collection, with historical research indicating that Helmut Horten may have benefited from acquiring Jewish businesses during the Nazi era. As a result, Christie's decided to donate a significant portion of the proceeds to Holocaust research and education.