For Pamela Hornik, collecting is less about accumulation than attention. A deeply engaged presence in the Bay Area art community—and increasingly beyond—Hornik has spent more than a decade supporting artists, institutions, and exhibitions through sustained involvement and meaningful philanthropy. Her path began behind the front desk of Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center and has since evolved into board leadership, institutional stewardship, and an ever-expanding contemporary art collection defined by openness and intuition.
Today, Hornik is known for her commitment to emerging artists, her belief in unrestricted support, and her hands-on engagement with exhibitions, fairs, and galleries. Whether organizing a canine-themed exhibition drawn from her own collection, lending works to museums nationwide, or navigating art fairs with curiosity (and a coffee in hand), she approaches collecting as a lived, social practice. Ahead of FOG Design + Art, Hornik reflects on recent acquisitions, artists to watch, and why seeing as much art as possible remains her guiding principle.
How Collecting Art is All About Seeing Art as Much as Possible
Patricia Iglesias Peco, “Cruzó el jardin, 2025, oil on canvas, courtesy of the artist and François Ghebaly.
Patricia Iglesias Peco, “El arbol subterraneo,” 2025, oil on board, courtesy of the artist and François Ghebaly.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
PAMELA HORNIK: I have loved Rirkrit Tiravanija’s work for a long time. I saw a gorgeous piece of his at last year’s FOG Design+Art fair, but I foolishly did not acquire it. But I obsessively thought about it and posted my regrets on Instagram after the fair. A friend in the art world, who happens to work with Rirkrit, helped me acquire a fantastic piece called EL MIEDO DE VORA EL ALMA (FEAR DEVOURS THE SOUL).
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
PH: I always say see as much art as is humanly possible. Go to museums. Go to galleries. Go to art fairs. Click through art Instagram. And figure out what you love. Don’t buy what others tell you to buy. Don’t buy what others think is important, or a good investment, or even beautiful. Buy what excites you.
“Seeing as much art as possible is the most important part of becoming a collector.”
— Pamela Hornik
What Pamela Hornik is Doing During San Francisco Art Week
FOG Design+Art 2025, photo by Nikki Ritcher, courtesy of FOG Design+Art 2025.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at FOG Design+Art this year?
PH: You can find me at the Loquat Cafe at FOG FOCUS for sure. Nothing better than a great cafe amongst great art.
I’m looking forward to checking out Patricia Iglesias Peco in the Francois Ghebaly booth. I always love Shiela Hicks’ work, so I can’t wait to visit Galerie Frank Elbaz and Demisch Danant’s solo booth of Hicks’ work.
“The works I love are the ones I can’t stop thinking about.”
—Pamela Hornik
Lily Kwong, “EARTHSEED DOME,” 2025. Fabrication by Atelio and WASP 3D. Visualization by Landworks Studio. Courtesy of ICA San Francisco and the artist.
WW: What are the exhibitions in San Francisco you won’t miss?
PH: I’m on the ICA San Francisco board, so I have to start with the new show by landscape artist Lily Kwong, and sculptural work by Tara Donovan at the Transamerica Building. SFMOMA has small gem of a Shiela Hicks show, and they’ve just installed a fantastic Rose B. Simpson sculpture.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
PH: That’s an impossible question. One of the artists I have been admiring recently is Jeremy Frey. I’m thrilled that Karma Gallery will be showing a piece of his at FOG Design+Art. Even more exciting, the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford will be putting on an exhibition of Frey’s work, which opens at the end of March.
What to Know
Pamela Hornik, photo by Şenay Inanici.
Sheila Hicks, “Textile Fresco,” 1969, courtesy of the artist and galerie frank elbaz.
Who: Pamela Hornik is a contemporary art collector, museum volunteer and board member, arts advocate, and mother of four. Her collection of dogs in contemporary art has been exhibited around the country. You can follow her art escapades on Instagram at @pamelahornik.
Based in: Palo Alto and New York City.
Collecting for: 15 years.
Collection Focus: Pamela collects a broad range of contemporary art across genres, mediums, subject matter, and artists.
First Acquisition: Ray Turner’s oil on glass portrait of his son, George Monroe.
Most Recent Acquisition: A lovely work on paper by Marina Adams, which was included in a benefit exhibition at David Zwirmer in support of the Ali Forney Center.
Instagram: @pamelahornik
