Francesca von Habsburg is the visionary Founder and Chairman of the Vienna-based foundation Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21)—one of the world’s most innovative private philanthropic contemporary art foundations. The daughter of renowned collector and philanthropist Baron Heini Thyssen-Bornemisza, Francesca von Habsburg was born and spent her childhood in Switzerland. Her educational pursuits led her to London where she studied art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and history of modern and contemporary art at the ICA in the early 80’s. In 1989, she became chief curator of special exhibitions of the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection at the Villa Favorita in Lugano, Switzerland. In 1991 she founded ARCH Foundation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage with projects in China, Croatia, Morocco, Turkey, Russia and Laos.
In 2002 Francesca founded Thyssen Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21). The institution gained a pioneering reputation around the world by commissioning and disseminating ambitious, experimental, and unconventional projects that defy traditional categorisations. TBA21’s projects are guided by the principles of ecological thinking through artistic practices that are always informed by social aesthetics and environmental concerns. Staying true to its philanthropic principles, the organization promotes the cross-pollination of disciplines to challenge the traditions of collecting, and presenting works of art, ultimately to inspire the most broad and diverse audiences to consider the pressing issues of our time, in particular the health of our oceans.
The foundation’s outreach goes far beyond Vienna as it regularly contributes numerous projects to the Sydney, Istanbul and Venice Biennials, to the programs of Manifesta and Documenta exhibitions, and to conferences on environmental topics such as the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Additionally, TBA21’s unique collection of contemporary art includes some of the most important established as well as emerging artists of our time. Recently, Francesca von Habsburg has added a new creative enterprise to TBA21 that brings together art, science and sustainability through a triennial of knowledge production—the TBA21 Current.
Awards:
- Mont Blanc prix de la Culture, 1998
- Golden cross from the City of Vienna 2007
- Order of the Falcon, Icelandic order of merit 2007