Austrian billionaire Heidi Goëss-Horten has died at age 81, just days after opening her private museum in Vienna:
. It became the museum’s most-visited show of all time, and inspired the collector to create a permanent venue to showcase her collection.
“I knew after the first public presentation of my collection that I wanted to preserve the works for posterity and share a treasure with people that has been with me in my private life for many years and given me such happiness,” Goëss-Horten toldThe high-profile project invited greater scrutiny of Goëss-Horten’s finances.
But any controversy appears to have failed to dampen enthusiasm for Goëss-Horten’s new museum. The venue, originally an annex of the Albrecht Palais and the offices of Archduke Friedrich, underwent a gut renovation byThe building, rechristened the Palais Goëss-Horten, now features three floors of gallery space, with two futuristic floating platforms.
For its inaugural exhibitions, the 16,000-square-foot museum is showcasing a selection of 50 works by the likes of Lucio Fontana, Robert Rauschenberg, Dan Flavin, Andy Warhol, and Damien Hirst. But there is also a focus on less established figures, particularly emerging and mid-career Austrian artists, with new commissions by