1 of 1 Sunrise Ruby, one of Heidi Horten’s pieces Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP Sunrise Ruby, one of Heidi Horten’s pieces Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
The sale of jewelry belonging to the late Austrian millionaire Heidi Horten, widow of a German who made a fortune through his Nazi connection, has already raised $202 million (R$992 million), the house of Christie’s reported Monday (15) announced. who organized the auction.
The amount raised surpasses the previous record, set in 2011 with BritishAmerican actress Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection, which surpassed US$115 million (R$565 million).
- Share this news via WhatsApp
- Share this news via Telegram
Heidi Horten’s collection includes more than 700 jewels and their total value has been estimated at more than US$150 million (R$736 million). The auction started last Wednesday and the last lots will be sold in November.
According to Christie’s, of the 98% of lots sold, half were in Europe and the Middle East; 28% in America; and 22% in Asia.
Christie’s said the proceeds will be donated to a foundation that supports charitable causes, in accordance with Heidi’s request. In addition, the auction house announced that it would make a “significant donation” from the proceeds to Jewish institutions and Holocaust education, which it believes is “vitally important.”
The Origin of Hoarding Fortune
However, the statement did not stop the criticism. The controversy revolves around the source of her husband’s fortune, Helmut Horten, owner of one of the largest department store chains in Germany.
In 1936, three years after Adolf Hitler came to power, Horten took over the textile company Alsberg after the Jewish owners had fled. He later took over several businesses owned by Jews fleeing Nazism. Horten was subsequently accused of profiting from the loot from possessions of Jewish origin.