Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza

Activist, philanthropist, and patron of the arts, Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza has led Thyssen-Bornemisza Art contemporary (tBA 21) since 2002, a nonprofit foundation committed to commissioning and producing multidisciplinary art projects that defy traditional categorisation and confront issues of social justice, including large-scale installations, sound compositions, endurance performances and contemporary architecture. The tBA 21 collection includes major works and commissions by international artists. In 2011, as an outgrowth of her work with tBA 21 and her commitment to the environment and protecting our oceans, she co-founded tBA 21–Academy with Director Markus Reymann. Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza has received numerous honors, including the Simmons Award for philanthropic Excellence in 2015, the Merit Award in gold of the province of Vienna for her cultural engagement.