The Hess Collection Winery

The Hess Collection Winery provides free public access to its Contemporary Art Museum, which features works pulled from a private collection actively acquired by Donald Hess since 1966. Hess' collection is considered by ARTnews Magazine to be one of the top 200 in the world. His collecting style is a personal endeavor driven by passion rather than monetary investment or current trends. He develops a close dialogue with an artist to better understand what drives him or her to create and he carefully limits his focus as a collector. As is evident by the caliber of the collection, he collects with the uncanny ability to acquire works by lesser known artists who often go on to become well known and respected in their disciplines. His typical commitment to an artist spans decades and various stages of his career.