Heidi Göess-Horten, an Austrian department store heiress who just earlier this month opened a long-awaited private museum in Vienna, has died at 81. A representative for that museum, the Heidi Horten Collection, said that Göess-Horten died on Sundaay in her home in Lake Wörthersee. “A generous, warm-hearted and wise woman has passed away today,” the museum wrote in a statement. “She will be remembered for her manifold commitment, above all to the arts and to sports, especially as president of the KAC,” an Austrian hockey team. Göess-Horten was not just one of the top collectors in Austria but in the world writ large. With 700 works in her holdings, she has ranked on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list each year since 2018. But it was not until recently that most were aware of the depth of her collection at all. Related Articles In 2018, a showing of her holdings went on view at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, featuring key paintings by Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Franz Marc, and more that had been amassed over the years. It was the first time the public had seen her collection, which had long been secreted away in her home. The Swiss publication Widewalls called the exhibition “breathtaking.” “The kind of art, I am surrounded by and which I live with, has become available art history,” Göess-Horten wrote in the exhibition catalogue for the show. “Hence, my wish of sharing this experience with other people has grown steadily.” At the beginning of this month, Göess-Horten opened the Heidi Horten Collection in Vienna. While the spare opening hang features some of the blue-chip artists that Göess-Horten has been collecting over the years, it is generally richer in Austrian artists, many of whom work in a conceptual mode. Among them are Philipp Timischl, Constantin Luser, Erwin Wurm, Markus Schinwald, and Brigitte Kowanz. The Heidi Horten Collection said that, to commemorate its namesake’s passing, it would offer free admission for the next week starting on Monday. The first floor of the Heidi Horten Collection. Photo Manuel Carreon Lopez/©kunst-dokumentation.com Heidi Göess-Horten was born under the name Heidi Jelinek in 1941 in Vienna. In 1966, she married Helmut Horten, the magnate behind the German department store chain Horten AG. When he died in 1987, Göess-Horten inherited his fortune. She later married Jean-March Charmat in 1994, and she remarried one more time after that, to Karl Anton, the count of Göess, in 2013. With Helmut Horten, Göess-Horten had begun collecting. Some years after his death, she began doing so more seriously. In 1996, her buying habits became public when she bought $22 million in art at a single Sotheby’s auction in London. Agnes Husslein-Arco, the Sotheby’s Vienna specialist who helped her purchase those works by phone, now directs the Heidi Horten Collection. Göess-Horten was reportedly one of the the richest people in the world at the time of her death, with Forbes reporting her net worth to be $2.9 billion this year. In addition to her art collection, Göess-Horten was reported to own one of the world’s largest motor yachts, the Carinthia VII, according to Boat International. The yacht was put up for sale this year with a $126 million price tag. She did not only use her money to buy art and yachts, however. Austrian outlets have reported that Horten gave the ice hockey team KAC 3 million euros annually. The Stadthalle, the arena where KAC plays in Klagenfurt, Austria, is expected to bear her name when its renovation is complete. Meanwhile, Göess-Horten was recently the subject of some controversy in Austria when Der Standard revealed that she had donated nearly €1 million to the conservative-leaning Austrian People’s Party between 2018 and 2019. (In Austria, significant donations from private entities to political parties are relatively uncommon, and must be publicly disclosed if they exceed a certain amount.) Those donations were made in small amounts so as to avoid having to report them. Her lawyer said the donations were legally compliant. According to the data that Der Standard reported, Göess-Horten was by far the biggest donor to the party during that time period. After initially not responding to requests for comment, Göess-Horten told the German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung that her donations were “well-intentioned” but that she would no longer donate to any political party. She was never legally prosecuted for the donations, despite some politicians’ demands for her to be. Up until the end, Göess-Horten continued buying art, and she viewed her collection as the core part of her legacy. “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,” she told ARTnews in an email last week. “That’s why I see my museum as a place of discovery, of sensuous experience, of the joy of art—because that’s what art has been and still is for me: a vital source of joy!”

While tempera is one of the oldest forms of painting, dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, it is now a preferred choice mainly for classrooms and kids’ craft projects due to its affordability and low toxicity. Made out of water-based pigment mixed with a binding agent, tempera paint dries quickly with an opaque matte finish. It’s best for painting on porous surfaces, such as paper, cardboard, and poster board, and can be applied with brushes, sponges, or fingers. A highly versatile medium, it can be thinned with water; mixed with salt, flour, or sand to create a textured paint; or combined with white glue for extra stability. Our top picks below will help you find the best ready-to-use liquid tempera for your needs. 1. Colorations Washable Tempera Paints For colors that will remain vibrant after drying, Colorations’ tempera paint is a great choice. This set of smooth, creamy paints in 11 rich, opaque colors comes in easy-to-use 16-ounce bottles. The paint dries matte and won’t crack, and it’s kid-friendly: AP-certified nontoxic, as well as free from many common allergens such as latex, dairy, egg, gluten, nut, and soy. The paints spread well over absorbent materials like cardboard, papier-mâché, plaster, and construction paper. With a super-washable formula, it easily rinses off skin and clothing, making it a stress-free choice for parents and teachers. 2. Crayola Washable Tempera From a recognized brand in children’s art materials, Crayola’s tempera paint can be bought individually in 32-ounce bottles, allowing you to choose from 12 vibrant colors to get exactly what you need for your project. This paint is more heavy-bodied than others on our list, presenting a creamy formula that is nearly drip-free when at rest but becomes thinner as it’s stirred and shaken. It also takes very well to layering and doesn’t dry out as quickly as more watery paints. This AP-certified nontoxic paint is washable for safe, clean use and its smooth consistency provides excellent coverage on a wide range of surfaces. 3. Prang Ready-to-Use Tempera Paint With a nonsettling formula that won’t separate, this set from Prang includes 12 high-pigment colors in 16-ounce easy-pour bottles. This AP-certified nontoxic tempera goes on smooth, blends easily, and leaves a matte finish. The product is not listed as washable, so you will want to be cautious when painting to protect clothing and surfaces from stains. 4. S&S Worldwide Liquid Tempera Paint This S&S Worldwide paint set includes an assortment of 12 colors in 32-ounce easy-squeeze bottles, making it an economical option for classrooms or those looking for larger quantities of paint. A slightly watery consistency will give a thinner application than some other tempera paints, but it is an excellent choice to mix with white glue for fun, experimental paint-pouring projects. This tempera is AP-certified nontoxic and is washable for a safe and clean creative experience. 5. Handy Art Tempera Paints Set A great introductory set from Handy Art Little Masters will give you a basic selection of six rich, opaque colors in 16-ounce squeeze bottles. These include your three primary colors, plus black and white—perfect for exploration with color mixing and paint application. This smooth-flowing paint is AP-certified nontoxic and won’t flake, chip, or crack when dry. This product is not listed as washable, so use caution to protect clothing and surfaces from staining.

Sketching is the most basic of any artist’s skill set. A good sketching set is essential for any artist, designer, or architect looking to maintain a drawing practice. Pencil sets are a portable, versatile must-have for the pro on the go. Whether you’re sketching en plein air, drafting a formal canvas, or brushing up on basics, a complete sketching set is necessary to everyone from the burgeoning artist to the expert draftsman. While we can’t promise that you’ll soon be cranking out masterpieces, practice does make perfect. Shop our picks below to find the right set for your needs. 1. Faber-Castell Creative Studio Art On-the-Go Graphite Sketch Set  Faber-Castell, whose pencils were beloved by van Gogh, offers a comprehensive and high-quality kit at a good price that’s sure to satisfy serious sketching needs. The set comes with 15 graphite pencils from its Goldfaber line ranging from 6B (the softest graphite, which makes the darkest mark) to 4H (the hardest graphite, which makes the faintest mark). These have high lightfastness ratings and have break-resistant cores. You also get a soft black pencil case, a pencil sharpener, and an eraser. If you’re serious about your graphite, invest in these pencils, and you can round them out with other sketching basics to suit their quality, like a good paper pad. 2. Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Pencils Looking for a prismatic sketching set, whether for meditative coloring or your own vibrant sketches? Look no further than Prismacolor’s student-grade drawing bundle. The set includes 20 highly pigmented pencils with soft yet break-resistant cores. Lightfast and richly saturated, they are a favorite for adult coloring books, and this set even comes with a booklet with eight ready-to-color illustrations! Use this as inspiration, or dive right in to creating your own masterpieces with the included black illustration marker, kneaded eraser, sharpener, and blender. 3. Norberg & Linden Drawing Set This option from Norberg & Linden is perfect for the beginner who wants to get all essential sketching supplies in one purchase. The set includes eight graphite pencils ranging from 8B to 5H and three charcoal pencils ranging from hard to soft. In addition, you get a 100-page wire-bound sketchbook, a vinyl and a kneaded eraser, two sharpeners, an all-graphite pencil, and two charcoal sticks: one soft, one medium. While this set includes no carrying case, a gift box makes for a polished presentation. 4. AmazonBasics Sketch and Drawing Art Pencil Kit If you’re in the market for a slim and serviceable set, you might want to take a look at this drawing kit, which provides you with the fundamentals to explore your sketching abilities before investing in something higher-end. Choose from six graphite pencils in a range of thicknesses, and maintain your pencils with the included sharpener. The kit also contains both vinyl and soft gum erasers, three charcoal pencils, four charcoal sticks, and a blending stump. 5. Studio 71 Portable Sketching Art Set Want more than charcoal and graphite? Look no further than this set from Darice. While the kit includes 29 pieces of high-quality drawing materials, the best perk of this product is its slick carrying case. Keep your tools organized and carry them with ease via Darice’s hard silver trunk with a convenient handle and secure snap closures. Not only does the set include nine sketching pencils, three charcoal pencils, three blending stumps, both a gum and a vinyl eraser, a pencil sharpener, a sanding block, and a sketch pad, this set also provides eight soft pastels ranging from white to ochre to black to add dimension to your monochrome sketches.