Bettina Heinen-Ayech and the Solingen Artists‘ Colony

Bettina Heinen-Ayech and her life’s work are once again at the centre of attention in the art world. This significant painter is experiencing a renaissance. This is evident from the numerous articles in art magazines, extensive monographic exhibitions and posthumous awards she has received. She has also been inducted into the exclusive circle of the 50 most significant historical female figures in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany as part of the “FrauenOrte NRW” project. Of particular note is Bettina Heinen-Ayech’s inclusion in the international “Pantheon World Project” of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, she is honoured as one of the most significant artists of her time, and her work is brought to the world stage. In Germany, she is ranked 25th among all historical painters. Among female painters, she ranks second, behind Gabriele Münter and ahead of Paula Modersohn-Becker.

The painter from Solingen had already attracted attention by the age of just 18, when she was invited to participate in the first major international art exhibition of the newly founded Federal Republic of Germany, alongside Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Paul Klee, Max Beckmann, Max Ernst, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Käthe Kollwitz. The plein air painter developed her own unique watercolour style. After extensive travel throughout Europe and an extended stay in Egypt, she settled in Algeria. Above all, it was her courage, insatiable curiosity and impetuous enthusiasm that enabled her to see the world — from Norway to Sylt, and from Paris to Algeria — with fresh eyes time and again, capturing it in her paintings. Her life resembled an adventure novel, devoted entirely to painting and international understanding.

Bettina Heinen-Ayech was raised in the ‚Black House" Artists‘ Colony in Solingen, the daughter of the journalist and poet Hanns Heinen (1895–1961) and Erna Heinen-Steinhoff (1898–1969), a prominent figure in Solingen’s cultural circles. As early as the beginning of the 1920s, the educated and emancipated Erna, together with her husband Hanns, founded a cultural and literary salon in Solingen, modelled on 19th-century salons. In the late 1920s, the Heinen couple met the painter Erwin Bowien (1899–1972). After spending some time in exile in the Netherlands during the war, he enriched the salon with a community of painters. Alongside Bettina Heinen-Ayech (1937–2020), the couple’s daughter, and the artist Amud Uwe Millies (1932–2008), he formed Solingen’s ‚Triad of Painters‘. Together, they revived the old ideal of landscape painting. Contrary to the trend towards abstraction in contemporary art, they painted in a figurative style and considered themselves to be in the tradition of classical plein air painting and the great Artists‘ Colonies of the century. They always painted outdoors to fully capture what they saw, immediately capturing the light and atmosphere.

The exhibition, ‚Bettina Heinen-Ayech and the Solingen Artists‘ Colony‘, showcases a variety of works by the trio of Solingen painters and offers a glimpse into their unique perspective on the world. Visit the wonderful exhibition to see these works for yourself. Opening hours: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 2 pm to 5 pm. Admission is free.

Further information about the exhibition and the Solingen Artists‘ Colony can be found at www.haus-graven.de or www.bettina-heinen-ayech-foundation.com.