#94 Susan & Michael Hort | Hort Family Collection, NYC | Independent Special

„Buy What You Love“

This is Episode 94 of the Voices On Art Podcast, created in cooperation with the Independent New York.

Susan and Michael Hort have been collecting contemporary art for 40 years, with a focus on young artists, whom they follow in depth. They often buy early in an artist’s career and usually acquire at least five to seven pieces by any given artist.

Susan and Michael are also the creators of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation, established in honor of their daughter Rema, who passed away from cancer at the age of 30 in 1995. The foundation funds travel and accommodations for families of cancer patients and also provides grants for emerging artists. Very recently the foundation supports young Los Angeles artists, who lost their studios in the fires.

Once a year Susan and Michael open their house for the public and share their love for art with the public.

In 2026 they plan to open their own museum space on the premises of the Art Omi Pavilions, with the intention to show some of the art that can't be shown in their house, but also to present artists that they collected early on, who deserve to be rediscovered.

Susan and Michael share their joy in collecting art, in connecting with the people of the art community and the hope to inspire the audience to start collecting themselves.

We're talking the love for art, how it can be reflected in an art collection and how art can fuel life in a powerful way. We talk past, present and future, their early beginnings as collectors, the differences in the art world and art community then and now, how they support artists and how much they value the friendships with artists and gallerists. Being connected to the art world keeps them going, let's them stay young and in tune with what's going on.

Recorded February 7, 2025. 39 min., language english.

Photo by Linda Farwell

We’re recording via the internet, please excuse any glitches in sound quality.

Links:

2024:https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-legacy-of-susan-and-michael-hort-2574473

2023:https://www.villazan.com/villazan-presents/collectors-susan-and-michael-hort-enjoy-being-alive-and-contemporary-art

2002:https://fineartmultiple.com/blog/collector-interviews-susan-and-michael-hort/

2016:https://www.vulture.com/2016/02/art-collectors-who-live-in-their-own-museum.html

2012:https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarawarren/2012/05/14/buy-what-you-love-the-art-of-michael-and-susan-hort/

https://www.independenthq.com/

https://van-horn.net/podcast-1/