Top 200 Collectors

Hortensia Herrero is a prominent Spanish art patron and philanthropist, married to supermarket tycoon Juan Roig. Known for her deep commitment to preserving Valencia’s cultural heritage, Herrero spearheaded the restoration of key historic landmarks in the region such as the Iglesia de San Nicolás de Valencia and the Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda. That initiative has cost the 74-year-old billionaire at least $10 million, according to Forbes.

Herrero’s art collection began with a focus on local Valencian artists but has since expanded to include international contemporary works after a visit to the 2013 exhibition “Sorolla and America” at the Meadows Museum in Dallas. During that trip, she met curator and fellow Valencian Javier Molins, who would later become Herrero’s confidant, and an advisers of sorts, traveling with the collector to artist studios, biennials, and art fairs, searching for works broaden and internationalize her collection.

That collection, as of last year, is housed in the 17th-century Palacio Valeriola. After a seven-year, $42-million renovation the historic Valencian building was rechristened the Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero (CAHH). The 27,600 square-foot Gothic structure is filled with work by renowned 20th-century masters like Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, and Jean Dubuffet, as well as site-specific commissions by contemporary artists such as Mat Collishaw, Tomás Saraceno, and Sean Scully.

In 2012 Herrero launched the Hortensia Herrero Foundation, which promotes and supports cultural awareness, knowledge, and education in the Valencia, with a focus on recovering the region’s artistic heritage. In June 2021 the foundation, in partnership with the Archdiocese of Valencia, began a restoration project at the Santos Juanes Church, a National Historic and Artistic Monument since 1947. Aimed at stabilizing the church’s structure and giving new life to its frescoes, that restoration project, completed in 2024, cost more than $6 million.

The foundation also supports dance initiatives in the region including the Valencia Danza International Campus, a collaboration with Asociación de Arte y Danza del Mediterráneo; the Esther Mortes School of Dance; and the Ballet Vale+ project, which researches the use of the classic ballet as a physical and social therapy for children with cerebral palsy.