HEYDT, Eduard von der (Edward van der Heydt), Freiherr. Elberfeld near Wuppertal 26.9.1882 — Ascona, Ticino 3.4.1964. German-Swiss Banker and Art Collector. Son of banker August von der Heydt and Selma Haarhaus. Matriculated 1900 from Wuppertal. Studied law at Geneva and Freiburg i. Br. Dr. rer. Pol. 1905. Entered bank career, for a while worked in New york and London, but in WW I served in German army. Then in Amsterdam and Germany. Joined NSDAP 1933, quitted 1939 (as Swiss citizen) and moved permanently to Switzerland, but kept his Nazi sympathies and served Nazis as a banker. In 1946-48 in prison. In 1919 married Vera von Schwabach (1899–1996, divorce 1927), no children.
He started collecting art in the 1920s (mainly Chinese, Indian and African). In 1946 he presented his his large collection of Chinese and Indian art to Zürich and Museum Rietberg was founded for them in 1952. Because of his Nazi relations the provenance of his collections has been questioned.
Publications: “Of Indian Art”, Art. As. 9. 1946, 93-96.
Sources: sv.budenbach.org/wiki/Eduard_von_der_Heydt (I used this Swedish version, but it is also available in French, German, etc. [not in English]); German Wikipedia with photo.
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