Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza

Infobox Person
name = Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza


birth_date = birth date|1921|4|2
birth_place = Scheveningen, Netherlands
death_date = death date and age|2002|4|26|1921|4|2
death_place = Catalonia, Spain
spouse = Teresa, Princess of Lippe-Weissenfeld
Nina Sheila Dyer
Fiona Campbell-Walter
Denise Shorto
Carmen Cervera
parents = Heinrich Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva
Margit Freiin Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva

Hans Henrik (Hans Heinrich "Heini") Ágost Gábor Tasso Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (April 2, 1921 – April 26, 2002), a noted industrialist and art collector, was a Dutch-born Swiss citizen with a(n) (Austrian-)Hungarian title, a legal resident of Monaco for tax purposes, with a declared second residency in the United Kingdom, but in actuality a long-time resident of Spain, and son of a German father and a Hungarian and English American mother (related to Daniel M. Frost and John Kerry). [ [http://www.wargs.com/political/kerry.html The Ancestors of Senator John Forbes Kerry (b. 1943) ] ] His fifth and last wife, Carmen "Tita" Cervera, is a former Miss Spain.

Early life

He was born in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands, the son of Heinrich Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (1875-1947) and his first wife, Margit Freiin Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (1887-1971). The Thyssen family's fortune was built upon a steel and armaments empire: Heinrich Thyssen had abandoned Germany as a young man and settled in Hungary in 1905. In Budapest, Heinrich married the daughter of the King's Chamberlain, who, having no sons of his own, adopted Heinrich and passed on his barony to him. The passing along of the title has raised numerous questions over whether Heinrich Thyssen could actually call himself Baron at all.

Career

With his father's death he inherited an economical empire that included naval construction and oil, and an artistical empire with hundreds of paintings of great European masters from between the 14th and the 19th century. He was also an avid horse lover. From then on his business were limited to art. Fifteen years after his father's death he bought his first piece, a water-colour by Emil Nolde dated from between 1931 and 1935, starting the entry of 20th century's paintings in the collection, including Edgar Degas, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger. His preference however went to German Expressionism, and he soon became a real expert in painting.

Marriages and children

He married firstly at Lugano-Castagnola, August 1, 1946, Austrian aristocrat HSH Teresa (Theresia) Amalia Franziska Elisabeth Maria Prinzessin zur Lippe-Weissenfeld (Wien, July 21, 1925 – July 16, 2008). They divorced on May 14, 1954, and she married secondly civilly at Kloten bei Zürich, April 9, 1960 HSH "Friedrich Maximilian" Egon Hubertus Joseph Maria Karl Anna Prinz zu Fürstenberg (Schloss Wechselburg, July 26, 1926 – Wien, November 2, 1969), by whom she had issue. Their only son was:
* "Georg Heinrich" Alfred Gábor Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (b. Lugano-Castagnola, March 19, 1950), who had one son by Catharina Eleonore Gräfin von Meran Freiin von Brandhofen (b. Klagenfurt, January 20, 1967) [Former wife (m. Klagenfurt, June 17 1989, div.) of Alexander Kahane (b. Wien, May 1 1955), an Austrian businessman of Jewish ancestry, by whom she had a son and a daughter Ludwig Kahane (b. Wien, October 13, 1991) and Alice Kahane (b. Wien, July 1, 1993).] daughter of Maximilian Joseph Otto Johannes Graf von Meran Freiherr von Brandhofen (b. Csákberényi, 20 April 1930) and wife (m. Wien, 16 September 1961) HSH Colienne Ida Franziska Kathleen Eleonore Maria Prinzessin zu Schwarzenberg (b. Berlin, 16 February 1937):
** Simon Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (b. Wien, December 1, 2001)

He married secondly at Colombo, Ceylon or Paris, 23 June 1954, Anglo-Indian fashion model Nina Sheila Dyer (London or Sri Lanka, February 15, 1930 – Paris, July 3, 1965), a rich heir with properties in Ceylon; they had no children and divorced on July 4, 1956, by which settlement she got a Château in France. She later married and divorced His Highness Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and committed suicide in 1965.

He married thirdly at Lugano-Castagnola, September 17, 1956, New Zealand-born British fotographic and fashion model Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter (b. Takapuna, Prov. Auckland, June 25 1932). They divorced on January 20, 1965, and she went on to have a well-publicized relationship with Greek shipping heir Alexander Onassis, the only son of Aristotle Onassis. She was a daughter of Rear Admiral Keith McNeill Walter (later Campbell-Walter) (Hazaribagh, August 31 1904 – April 24 1976) and wife (m. December 16 1930), Frances Henriette Campbell (Semarang, Java, Dutch East Indies, November 30 1904 – ?), paternal granddaughter of Alexander McNeill Walter, of Hazaribagh, India, Zamindari manager (Calcutta, May 12 1875 – Hazaribagh, February 12 1936), and wife Florence Ruth Gisella Downing (Purnesh, Bengal, October 5 1879 – Holloway Sanitorium, Egham, Surrey, April 8, 1976), and maternal granddaughter of Sir Edward Campbell, 1st Baronet, and wife Edith Jane Warren. Their children were:
* "Francesca" Anne Dolores Freiin Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (b. Lausanne, June 7, 1958), married at Mariazell, January 31 1993 to Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, heir to the defunct Austrian Imperial Throne, and had issue
* Lorne Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (b. Lugano or Lausanne, June 15, 1963), who converted to Islam and is unmarried and without issue; he is the producer and director of "Labyrinth" (2003) and the executive producer of "The Garden of Eden" (2008)

He married fourthly at Lugano-Castagnola, December 13, 1967, Liane "Denise" Shorto (b. Garça, São Paulo, São Paulo, December 23 1942), a Brazilian banker's daughter, divorced in November 29, 1984. They had one son:
* Wilfried "Alexander" August Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (b. Zürich, November 20, 1974)

He married, lastly, fifthly at Daylesford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, on August 16, 1985, the beautiful María del Carmen Rosario Soledad Cervera y Fernández de la Guerra, popularly known as Carmen "Tita" Cervera, (b. Barcelona, April 23, 1943), who was Miss Spain of 1961, daughter of N Cervera y N and wife María del Carmen Fernández de la Guerra (d. Madrid, February 22, 1992), without issue. Hans Heinrich adopted her son, Borja Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva (b. Madrid, 1980, father unknown), who married at Terrassa, Barcelona, October 11, 2007 Blanca Cuesta and had a child Sacha Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva. His widow has also adopted two baby girls, twins, called Guadalupe Sabina and María del Carmen in July, 2006.

Assets dispute

As part of an attempt to dissolve a trust and thereby gain control of her third husband's assets, she cast doubt on the paternity of Baron Georg Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, alleging that his father was actually Count Iván Batthyány-Strattmann de Német-Ujvár, the husband of Thyssen's sister, Margit Batthyány. However, a settlement was reached between the parties before the Baron's death, which brought to a "peaceable" conclusion the wrangling over control of the vast Thyssen art collection, which will remain in Spain, for what he was the Founder of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.

Death

Hans Heinrich died in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalonia, Spain. He is buried in the family burial vault of Landsberg Palace in the Ruhr valley near Essen, Germany.

Notes

ee also

* Thyssen
* Thyssen family
* Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum - museum link
* "Exame - Negócios em Revista", April, 1989, Ano 1, N.º 1

External links

*
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_200205/ai_n9019876 Profile] by Taki for "The Spectator", 4 May 2002
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/f/francescathyssenanc1958.htm Ancestors of Baroness Francesca Anne Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kaszon]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/e/eleonoreaustriaanc1994.htm Ancestors of Archduchess Eleonore of Austria]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/f/ferdinandaustriaanc1997.htm Ancestors of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/g/gloriaaustriaanc1999.htm Ancestors of Archduchess Gloria of Austria]
* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/thyssen.html Thyssen-Bornemissza de Kászon et Impérfalva Family]