Collector Pamela Hornik on Art Heists, Baskets, and Empathy

Collector Pamela Hornik shares her most memorable acquisition, which felt like an art heist: she and her husband picked up a painting directly from a reluctant seller who pointed to it in a stairwell. She advises new collectors to ignore experts and buy what they love, calling regret a waste of time. Hornik is currently obsessed with baskets, citing Jeremy Frey's show at Stanford's Cantor Arts Center. She collects contemporary figurative art and values empathy between artist and subject. She met artist LJ Roberts at the Highline Hotel in New York, bonding over dogs. When asked which artwork she would want to own, she says her answer changes constantly, naming Chantal Joffe, Allison Schulnik, and Chiachio & Giannone as current favorites.