1.1 eduard von der heydt - Museum Rietberg

1.2
key events
in the life
of eduard von
der heydt
1882–1900 Born on 26 September in Elberfeld, second son of August and Selma
von der Heydt; childhood and youth in a strict Protestant family of
bankers and art collectors
1900–1905 Studied law, politics and economics in Geneva and Freiburg im
Breisgau; Doctorate “magna cum laude”
1902 Military service as one-year volunteer in 3rd Uhlan Guard regiment
in Potsdam
1905/1909 Travels in America
1905 Purchase of first painting
1910 Foundation of the bank of E. von der Heydt & Co. in London
1914 Serves with 3rd Uhlan regiment on the Western Front; end November,
decorated with the Iron Cross second class for merit in fighting at
the front
1915–1919 Work as analyst of British press coverage of the war for the German
legation in The Hague
1917 Confiscation and liquidation of the bank in London under the terms
of the “Trading with the Enemy Act”: first big turning point which
strongly influences his later strategic choices
1918 Married Vera von Schwabach (1899–1996), daughter of Paul and
Eleanor von Schwabach, in Berlin; Paul von Schwabach is a major
German Jewish banker who opens important doors for him during
his fresh start after First World War
1920 Foundation of Heydt’s-Kersten’s Bank N.V. in Amsterdam
From 1920 Important acquisitions of Chinese and Indian sculpture as well as
African art, start of intensive collecting of non-European art
1922 Acquisition together with his brother August of parental art collection
for tax reasons
1922–1924 Establishment of his own museum: Nederlands Museum voor
Oost-Aziatische Kunst, called “Yi Yuan”, Amsterdam
1925 Beginning of loans to museums, first in New York and Berlin, later
throughout Europe
1925 Foundation of Von der Heydt’s Bank AG in Berlin
1926 Joins monarchist association “The Steel Helmet”
(federation of front-line soldiers of First World War)
1927 Takeover of Von der Heydt’s Bank AG by Fritz Thyssen and Heinrich
Thyssen-Bornemisza, von der Heydt becomes board member, bank
renamed as August Thyssen-Bank AG, Berlin (from 1930)
1929–1937 Co-founder and chairman of the association of friends of the
Nationalgalerie Berlin
1933 Start of withdrawal of many loans from German museums and transfer
to Switzerland, France, Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and other
countries
1933–1939 NSDAP/AO membership (via Dutch branch of the party’s foreign
organisation)
1937 Acquisition of Swiss citizenship
1940 Transfer of ownership of the collection from Netherlands to
Switzerland (into a trust)
1939–1943 Handling of payments for German military intelligence
1945 Acquisition of the Villa Wesendonck by the city of Zurich
January 1946 Loan and testamentary contract with the city of Zurich
March 1946 Detained during federal police investigations
1947 Temporary suspension of Swiss citizenship
May 1948 Trial before military court charged with “conducting or organising the
conduct of military intelligence gathering services on Swiss territory
for a foreign state against another foreign state”; acquittal
1952 Inauguration of Museum Rietberg, gift of substantial part of European
artworks to Wuppertal
1956 Gift of substantial part of property to the Canton of Ticino
(Monte Verità with houses, as well as artworks)
1956 Honorary doctorate from University of Zurich
1958 First award of the “Eduard von der Heydt Prize” in Wuppertal
1961 Renaming of the municipal art museum in Wuppertal
as Von der Heydt-Museum
1962 Awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Wuppertal
1964 Death in Ascona after long illness (3 April)
Eduard von der Heydt, Marie-Laure and Charles de Noailles
in Zandvoort, 1932 (private collection)