Born in Dallas and raised in Houston, Deal Booth has dedicated decades to supporting both art and the artists who create it. She views her extensive collection as a three-fold mission: a philanthropic endeavor, a preservation effort, and a means of surrounding herself with beauty that enriches daily life.
Deal Booth's early relationship with art began in an unexpected way during her Houston childhood. Museum visits weren't initially about appreciating masterpieces, but rather finding relief from Texas heat. "Back then, on hot summer days, we'd go places for the air conditioning, and museums were often the best place to be," she recalled with a smile. "The Museum of Fine Arts was our playground on a hot day."
Despite these air-conditioned museum visits, Deal Booth's upbringing was fundamentally connected to the outdoors. Whenever weather permitted, she spent most of her time in nature, experiences that proved formative in teaching her about conservation and developing her appreciation for beauty in all its forms. "Spending time in nature still fuels me," she reflected. "I've always been a visual person and have loved things that are beautiful, whether they're made by humans or found in nature."
This connection between natural beauty and artistic expression would become a central theme throughout her life. Her path toward serious art collecting began after a transformative year-long European adventure when she was 19, traveling around the continent in a Volkswagen van. "I realized I loved history, and especially the visual interpretations of our contemporary times through artistic expression," she explained. This revelation led her to study art history at Rice University.
After college, Deal Booth began building her collection in an unconventional manner, working various side jobs in exchange for artwork when traditional purchases weren't financially feasible. "When I was in my early to mid-20s after college, I did some editing and odd jobs for a print dealer and was paid in prints," she explained. "And I worked for a gallery in Houston on weekends. Sometimes I opted to be paid in art."
These early entrepreneurial efforts resulted in acquiring prints by renowned artists including Eduardo Chillida, Jean Cocteau, and André Derain – works that remain treasured pieces in her collection today. However, the most significant influence on her collecting philosophy came through a life-changing connection with Dominique de Menil.
"She was almost like a saint to me," Deal Booth said of de Menil. "She was wise, and she cared deeply about things – objects and social causes – and she became a mentor to me." De Menil, a distinguished collector and philanthropist, co-founded The Menil Collection in Houston with her husband John. Their museum houses an impressive range of artworks spanning from antiquities to modern masterpieces, including works by Surrealist artists like René Magritte, Max Ernst, and Dorothea Tanning, as well as 20th-century masters such as Cy Twombly and Mark Rothko.
Deal Booth first encountered de Menil as a work-study student at Rice University, where the philanthropist served as a patron. She soon began working for The Menil Collection and later lived in de Menil's home while pursuing graduate studies in art history and conservation at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. "It was her way of helping me," Deal Booth recalled. "I got to live with her marvelous collection and be around her and talk about art, our relationships with objects, and why we should care about preserving things."
The importance of conservation became deeply personal for Deal Booth through hands-on experience. As a student, she participated in an archaeological excavation outside Rome, witnessing firsthand the immense value of antiquities and material culture. She also observed preservation work on the Rothko Chapel and Barnett Newman's "Broken Obelisk" (1963-67) while at the Menil.
Professionally, Deal Booth spent a decade at the Getty Conservation Institute, where she further developed her expertise in preservation. Combined with the philanthropy lessons learned from de Menil, these experiences inspired her to establish several awards and fellowships. In 2002, she launched the Suzanne Deal Booth Rome Prize Fellowship for Historic Preservation and Conservation at the American Academy in Rome. In 2018, she co-organized the Suzanne Deal Booth/FLAG Art Foundation Prize with The Contemporary Austin.
Today, Deal Booth serves on numerous prestigious museum boards, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Atelier Calder, American Friends of Centre Pompidou, Ballroom Marfa, and the Menil Collection. Her stewardship has expanded beyond the art world in recent years to include agriculture, enology, and biodynamic farming practices.
In 2010, she purchased Bella Oaks, a Napa Valley vineyard, and in 2024 added the historic Wheeler Farms winery to her holdings, establishing herself as a leading figure in celebrated wine and olive oil production. Both properties serve as unique settings where she displays artwork from her collection, exploring how natural landscapes and artistic expression can heighten sensory experiences.
Deal Booth's current collection is expansive, featuring paintings, sculptures, and installations by renowned artists including Jasper Johns, Brice Marden, and Yayoi Kusama. "It's hard to define how I buy," she admitted. "I like things that evoke a feeling in me, and I can't describe that feeling. I don't limit myself to genre or material; I am driven by curiosity and a desire to be surrounded by beauty."
For new art buyers, she advocates for a similarly open approach: "Be curious; ask questions; and buy what moves you." While her collection spans various styles and mediums, certain preferences emerge. "I don't have a lot of figurative art," Deal Booth noted. "I'm drawn more to minimalist art and abstract or atmospheric work. Some of my art does have hints of representation or symbols, but they're usually abstracted."
Among her favorite pieces is a series of terracotta cubes by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, installed at Bella Oaks. "He is a great example of someone whose work made me curious," she said. "I saw a piece at a gallery, fell in love, and had to know more." True to her practice of connecting with artists personally, Deal Booth met Sodi after discovering his work by chance at Kasmin gallery in New York, where she had originally gone to consider purchasing a Lee Krasner painting.
"Artists are some of the most interesting characters around," she explained. "I'd recommend that anyone meet the artist whose works they buy. It adds such a deeper dimension to the piece." Another cherished work at Bella Oaks is Kusama's mirrored installation "Where the Lights in My Heart Go" (2016). "It creates a kind of forced perspective with the hillside where the work looks bigger than it is," she described. "The mirrored exterior reflects the surrounding landscapes, and visitors can enter the structure and look outside through small peepholes, changing the scale and perspective."
The joy of sharing art with others particularly energizes Deal Booth. "I love it because I'm usually bringing someone new to see it, and I get to experience their reaction, which is often joy and surprise," she said. "It's like the first time you see a total eclipse. You know you're seeing something for the first time, and you're in awe of that moment."
Through her decades of collecting, Deal Booth has created more than just a personal art collection – she has built a legacy that bridges natural beauty, artistic expression, cultural preservation, and philanthropic impact, all rooted in the outdoor experiences and conservation values that shaped her Houston childhood.
