When jewelry owned by Liz Taylor went on sale at Christie’s in 2011 – an unprecedented collection of 400 lots – the auction house hit a record sale of $145 million. An incredible figure, which, however, today could be surpassed by an excellent collection 700 jewels of Heidi Horten, Austria’s richest womanwho passed away in 2022 at the age of 81. With such a fortune, the fame of this woman should precede her, and instead, the heiress, born in Jelinka in 1941, never liked to live in the spotlight, preferring to lead a low-key life, albeit a secular one, and not without interesting meetings with the beau monde. . Most importantly, what led her to meet her future husband at the age of only 19.
The story of Heidi Horten, Austria’s richest woman
In 1960, she first sees the German magnate Helmut Horten, 32 years her senior. At the time, Heidi, the daughter of an engraver, was studying to be a secretary, but her life suddenly changes when she meets her future husband.. Between them there was love at first sight, and six years later they got married. Horten, however, is not just an entrepreneur: his biography is highly controversial, as he made a fortune in the 1930s and 1940s by taking over pharmacies and shops taken over from Jews, achieving a monopoly on the German food market during World War II. When the couple meets for the first time, the conflict has long been settled, but the debate about the origin of his legacy does not subside. Especially since his fortune allows him to collect art and jewelry, a passion he passes on to his young wife, who is a fast learner and, widowed in 1987, continues to buy paintings by contemporary artists Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Paul. Klee, Andy Warhol, just to name a few, followed by stunning jewelry creations.
The Jewels of Heidi Horten
Cartier, Harry Winston, Bulgari, Tiffany. Heidi is a tireless and passionate collector.but buy only what she likes. His purchases are never motivated by investment logic or a “good deal”. And this leads to her buying both unique high jewelery pieces and costume jewelry with ease, without any distinction. When a $22 million piece of art was bought in one fell swoop from a London auction house containing masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon in 1996, newspapers wondered for months who the mystery bidder was until The newspaper “New York Times unable to trace the name of the heiress. The same goes for 2018, when some of Marie Antoinette’s jewels were auctioned off in Geneva, and the most valuable lot, a huge Baroque pearl and diamond pendant, was not won by Horten for a record $36 million.
Heidi Horten Jewelry Auction
Very rich but very reserved over the years he has raised assets that Christie’s has valued at $150 million and which he will put up for auction May 10 and 12 in Geneva.. An irresistible attraction for many hobbyists with significant economic opportunities, as individual lots are priced in the tens of thousands of euros or more. Among the museum’s most notable exhibits are the Briolette of India, a 90.38-carat pear-cut diamond necklace from 1909, and the Great Mughal, a necklace with a carved Indian emerald weighing over 340 carats, both by Harry Winston. Then comes an important collection of jade jewels, the finest choice known outside of Asia, and a Cartier 25-carat pigeon-blood ruby ring flanked by two diamonds, known as the Sunrise Ruby.
A whimsical yellow, blue, orange and pink diamond brooch stands out from the House of Bulgari, while a rare 1924 Egyptian Revival style sautoir with diamonds, rubies, onyx and emeralds, which he bought at Christie’s in 2018, is signed Van Cleef & Arpels Worldwide there is only one other copy, the exact location of which is currently unknown. “Despite the fact that this is not the most valuable item at the auction, collectors say that this is one of their favorite pieces because of its rarity, condition and quality,” Max Fawcett, head of the jewelry department, explains on the auction house’s website. Christie in Geneva. “Heidi was a sensitive and passionate collector who deeply appreciated jewels. She had a keen eye and created an exquisite collection that included some of the finest jewelry ever to hit the market.”
When beautiful things also help to do good, they take on a new meaning that complements them. From what has come to light from the site, all proceeds from the sale will in fact benefit the Heidi Horten Foundation, established in 2021 to support the Heidi Horten collection, a museum pillar opened last year, ten days before her death, which brings together all of its masterpieces. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to medical research with a focus on children and other charitable causes that Horten has supported for many decades.. In addition, Christie’s will make a significant contribution from the final proceeds of the auction to an organization dedicated to Holocaust research and education. A form of posthumous compensation that will close the circle and finally put an end to the many controversies that have accompanied Heidi Horten’s long and brilliant life.
Source: Elle