Hori Fumiko was born in Tokyo and attended Joshi Bijutsu Senmon (Womens' Art College) from which she graduated in 1940. From 1961-1963 she traveled extensively in Europe, American, Egypt, and Mexico. These travels proved to be a turning point in her career as she re-examined her cultural heritage, turning away from surrealism and toward traditional Japanese painting. Since that time she has used traditional mineral pigment as her material, and has concentrated on landscapes and bird-and-flower motifs as her subject matter. In 1985 she had a solo exhibition at the Yurakucho Seibu department store and her work has won many prizes over the years. In 1974 she became a professor at Tama Bijutsu Daigaku.

Hori Fumiko has immersed herself in the study and painting of nature. She lives year round in Karuizawa.