Page 31 - CHRISTIE'S Himalayan and SOutheast Asian Works of Art 09/13/17

The Baroness
Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
(Lots 620-622)
Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza, director and Vice President
of the Board of Trustees of The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
Foundation, has long been devoted to the cultural preservation of
the arts. Her father, an industrial engineer and businessman, was also an
accomplished painter and collector of Catalan paintings. From the time she
was a child, her family cultivated the Baroness’s love of the arts. Internationally the most revered art collections in Europe. As the collection grew, so did the
educated and well-traveled, the Baroness was exposed to a vast array of
cultures with distinct artistic traditions, fostering her love of art from all
corners of the world.
In 1985 the Baroness married Baron Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-
Bornemisza, a businessman and devoted art collector, reigniting her
childhood passion and catalyzing an even deeper commitment to
the arts. The marriage of the Baron and Baroness not only merged
two families, but also joined their two distinctive collections into a
comprehensive group of more than 1,200 works, including paintings
by renowned artists such as Titian, Van Gogh and Picasso.
The Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza hailed from an important collecting legacy
founded by his grandfather, August Thyssen in the early 20th century. August,
an industrial magnate, is known to have commissioned Rodin to create six
sculptures for his budding collection. August’s son, Heinrich, continued his
father’s legacy with a focus on both classical and modern painting. August’s
grandson, the Baron Hans Heinrich, carried the collecting torch, reassembling
his father’s collection after it was dispersed among his siblings following
his death in 1947. The cohesive collection includes such famous works as
Ghirlandaio’s Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni formerly in the J.P. Morgan
Collection. With a passion for German Expressionism, Baron Heinrich
continued to collect modern and contemporary works throughout his life.
lot 620 lot 621
With her husband at her side, the Baroness elegantly stepped into the role
as co-caretaker of the Thyssen-Bornemisza family collection, focusing
mainly on nineteenth and twentieth century North American and European
painting, including select works of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and
Expressionism. Together they continued to build what was to become one of
couple’s belief that the works should be made accessible to a larger audience.
By the late 1980s, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection had grown too large
to remain in the family gallery space in Lugano, Switzerland. The Baron and
Baroness began to entertain proposals from art institutions around the world
looking to house and care for this illustrious collection. Determined to keep
the collection together, in 1988 they entrusted it to the Spanish government
with the assurance that it would be cared for and managed according to their
vision. Housed in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid since 1992, the
Thyssen-Bornemisza collection boasts Western art works spanning from the
thirteenth to the twentieth centuries, as well as works from Asia and beyond.
The Baroness has a special fondness for Asian works of art and furniture,
which fll her home. The three exceptional works entrusted to Christie’s (Lots
620, 621, 622) from the Baroness’ private collection, illustrate her keen eye
for Asian art and her commitment to collecting at the highest level in every
feld. Until recently, these select works remained in pride of place in her home
alongside other works from her personal collection. Christie’s is honored to
ofer these works at auction.
lot 622