A German immigrant who built his fortune in the hosiery business in Reading, Pa., George D. Horst amassed a fine collection of paintings and sculpture, starting in 1911. At first a gift to the Reading Public Museum, which he helped establish, the artwork ended up tucked away out of public view for eight decades after Horst had a falling-out with the museum.

Horst did not agree with a decision to move the Reading Public Museum to the edge of town, which he called "swampland." He withdrew his financial support and 39 promised paintings were returned to him. The museum kept 20 artworks given permanently.

The Horst collection illustrates collecting tastes in the early-to-mid-20th century, and includes prime examples by American Impressionists such as Childe Hassam, Daniel Garber, Edward Willis Redfield, and Frank W. Benson. There are also Barbizon works by the likes of Corot, Boudin and Daubigny. There is a good representation of women artists such as Elizabeth Okie Paxton.

Horst purchased much of the artwork from the annual exhibitions at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and other top venues of the day. 

For 88 years, the artwork has been stored in a charming building on a wooded piece of land near Horst's home. The gallery building was used for occasional parties by the family. Horst died in 1934, and since then, the artwork was sometimes loaned to exhibitions, but otherwise the collection has been hidden from view.

Freeman's auction house in Philadelphia will offer the collection which is being sold by Horst's grandchildren. The sale is scheduled for March 30. Estimates range from a few thousand dollars to up to $300,000.