Heidi Horten

Heidi Horten
Born	Jelinek (1941-02-13) 13 February 1941 Austria
Died	12 June 2022(2022-06-12) (aged 81)
Occupation(s)	Businesswoman, art collector, philanthropist
Known for	Extensive art collection, philanthropy, widow of Helmut Horten

Heidi Horten (born Jelinek; 13 February 1941 – 12 June 2022) was an Austrian billionaire known for her extensive art collection. She was the widow of Helmut Horten, a businessman whose fortune stemmed from the German department store enterprise Horten AG, a company whose wealth has been controversially associated with Nazi-era profiteering. As of May 2020, her net worth was approximated by Forbes at US$3 billion.

Biography

After the passing of her husband Helmut Horten, whom she met when she was 19 and he was 51, Heidi inherited his substantial wealth. She held a position on the board of the Helmut Horten Stiftung, a philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting healthcare facilities, advancing medical research, and providing assistance to those in need.

Her residences were spread across Vienna in Austria; Ticino in Switzerland; and Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. Among her possessions was the luxury yacht Carinthia VII, measuring 315 feet in length. As a passionate collector of art, she notably sold the 35.56-carat Wittelsbach Diamond, once part of the Crown Jewels of Bavaria, for $24 million in 2008.

In August 2019, it became public that Horten had contributed close to one million euros during 2018 and 2019 to the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).

Art collection

Her art collection comprised more than 500 pieces, featuring works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, and Yves Klein. In 2018, an exhibition displaying 170 artworks from the Heidi Horten Collection was held at Vienna's Leopold Museum.

In 2019, she purchased a historic mansion in Vienna, spanning approximately 22,000 square feet and dating back 155 years, with plans to convert it into a private museum for her collection. The building, designed by architects Marie-Therese Harnoncourt-Fuchs and Ernst Fuchs, welcomed visitors starting in 2022.

Following her death, Christie's auctioned her jewelry collection in May 2023, achieving a record-breaking total of CHF 180 million (US$201 million) for a single private jewelry sale. Due to disputes concerning the origins of the Horten family wealth, Christie's committed to donating a portion of the proceeds toward Holocaust education and related initiatives. Nevertheless, on 31 August 2023, Christie's called off the auction after Jewish organizations declined to accept donations connected to the sale.

Further reading

• Olga Kronsteiner, "Milliardärin Heidi Goëss-Horten gestorben," Der Standard, 12 June 2022
• Cathrin Kahlweit, "Heidi Goëss-Horten gestorben: Ein Leben für die Kunst," Süddeutsche.de, 12 June 2022