Baroness and son battle over Spanish art treasure (Feature)

By Sinikka Tarvainen Nov 19, 2009, 1:08 GMT

Madrid - One of the world's top private art collections could become the object of a legal dispute as a Spanish baroness is being challenged by a wayward son over his inheritance rights.

The row between baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza and her son Borja could affect the future of hundreds of priceless paintings at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which forms Madrid's 'golden art triangle' with the Prado and Reina Sofia museums.

Borja Thyssen-Bornemisza, 29, is the only son of Carmen Cervera, 66, a former Miss Spain and aspiring actress who entered high society thanks to her marriage to German-Hungarian industrial heir Hans Heinrich 'Heini' Thyssen-Bornemisza in 1985.

The late baron, who was more than 20 years older than his fifth wife, not only endowed her with a fabulously wealthy lifestyle, but also introduced her into the world of the arts.

Father of four children from some of his previous marriages, Heini adopted the son that Carmen - known by Spaniards as Tita - had had out of wedlock and gave him the Thyssen family name.

Many countries and institutions were interested in housing the Thyssen family's art collection comprising more than 1,000 paintings, which was regarded by some as being second only to that of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Carmen Thyssen became a heroine in her country when she persuaded her husband to sell a large part of the collection to the Spanish state for a nominal price.

Housed in a 19th-century palace since 1992, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum covers almost the entire history of Western painting.

In addition to about 700 works that the baron ceded to the Spanish state, the museum displays some 200 paintings from the baroness' own collection which comprises a total of about 1,000 works.

Carmen Thyssen's collection includes a long list of top names, especially in modern art, ranging from Monet, Degas and Gauguin to Picasso and Matisse. The works on display at the museum alone are estimated to be worth up to 800 million euros (1.2 billion dollars).

The paintings are on loan to Spain until 2011, after which the baroness has threatened to take them elsewhere if the state does not offer her what she regards as a satisfying new deal.

The fate of the baroness' collection has become even more uncertain with the new claims made on it by Borja Thyssen, a young man of no known profession whom his mother brought up 'like a little prince,' according to the daily El Pais.

Once known for his serious and reserved style, Borja has swapped dark suits for open-necked shirts and tattoos. He is known for his liking of mansion life, gym workouts and motorcycles.

Borja stunned Spain by selling an exclusive interview to the gossipy magazine Hola, accusing his mother of deceiving him over the extent of his inheritance which included her art collection.

Relations between the trendy son and his blonde designer-clad mother are believed to have deteriorated, largely because of her dislike of his blonde model wife.

'The war of the Thyssens' is not the first feud over money within one of the world's richest families.

In one of the family's biggest disputes, a four-year legal battle between Heini Thyssen-Bornemisza and his eldest son led to an agreement giving the baron's four biological children rights to his art trust in 2002.

Adopted son Borja, however, has rights to the trust only through his mother, according to Hola.

Borja receives regularly generous allowances from the baroness, but they have not been enough to maintain his lifestyle, according to Spanish media reports.

'I am fighting for my family,' Borja Thyssen said, speaking of his wife and young son.

Carmen Thyssen declined to comment, saying she had left the matter with her lawyers.

If the two do not patch up their disagreements, the baroness could leave her 'little prince' penniless by giving his share of her inheritance to the two daughters she adopted following her husband's 2002 death, Hola said.