I owe my passion for collecting to my late husband, Baron Hans
Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. As a child, I was in touch with the world of art thanks to my
father’s interest in painting, which he himself practised in his spare time. I remember the
smell of oil paint in his studio, as well as the frequent visits to the museums with my
mother. Maybe it was my desire to understand the thoughts and the feelings of painters when
they stand in front of a canvas that induced me to look for that wonderful sensation felt
when one paints. Often my brother Guillermo and I used to paint together.
But it was not until I met Heini that I understood what it meant to be an art collector. I still keep in my
memory the first time I saw with him the art collection in Villa Favorita, and the years we spent visiting
museums, art galleries and artists’ studios, as well as the temporary exhibitions of works from our Collection,
lent to different countries throughout the world.
In the 18th century, the travellers that visited Venice would take back with them vedute of the city of canals,
admired for their beauty. This capacity of art to take us to other places and other times through the artist’s
eyes has always fascinated me. This may be the reason why views and landscapes have a very relevant place in my
collection. I believe painting is, above all, a way of carrying us to another reality.
Since I began to acquire works of art, I have always felt that art should not be kept for oneself, but rather
that it must be shared, and this is what I have tried to transmit to my son Borja. For this reason I wish to
express my gratitude to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and to Spain.
|
