Solingen-born painter Bettina Heinen-Ayech first attracted attention at the age of 18, when she was invited to participate in the first major international art exhibition of the young Federal Republic, alongside renowned artists such as Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Paul Klee, Max Beckmann, Max Ernst, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Käthe Kollwitz. A plein air painter, she developed her own unique watercolour style. After extensive travel throughout Europe and a long stay in Egypt, she settled in Algeria. Her life resembled an adventure novel, devoted entirely to painting and international understanding.

Bettina Heinen-Ayech was raised by her father, the journalist and poet Hanns Heinen (1895–1961), and her mother, the Solingen socialite Erna Heinen-Steinhoff, in the ‘Black House’ of the Solingen Artists‘ Colony. It was there that she met her most important teacher and mentor, the painter Erwin Bowien (1899–1972). However, it was above all her courage, insatiable curiosity and impetuous enthusiasm that enabled her to experience the world, from Norway to Sylt and Paris to Algeria, in ever-new ways, capturing it in her paintings. Alongside Bettina Heinen-Ayech and, later, Amud Uwe Millies (1932–2008), the cosmopolitan Erwin Bowien was one of the leading painters of the Solingen Artists‘ Colony.

Bettina Heinen-Ayech, a painter who has been listed in the ‘Pantheon World’ project since 2019, has undergone a spectacular re-evaluation by the project’s curators. The team at MIT University established several rankings. Heinen-Ayech’s global ranking among all painters in art history has risen from 715th place in 2019 to 282nd. In Germany, she now occupies a very prominent 25th place (previously 66th place) among painters. Among female painters, she is ranked second after Gabriele Münter and ahead of Paula Modersohn-Becker.  Among personalities born in Germany, she ranks 729th out of 7,253 individuals considered for inclusion in the list of the country’s most important historical figures. The evaluation also took into account her inclusion in 2024 in the circle of the 50 most important female personalities in the history of the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (the FrauenOrte NRW project).

„The Pantheon World Project is a new tool for raising the profile of historical figures worldwide. Through this initiative, MIT is acknowledging the importance of the painter Bettina Heinen-Ayech in world history. Bettina Heinen-Ayech was one of the leading figures of the Solingen Artists‘ Colony, and thanks to her new ranking, she has become a prominent figurehead of Nordrhein-Westfalen’s cultural landscape on the international stage."

Ina Brandes, the Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, Minister for Culture and Science

The Pantheon World project is a database designed for analysing collective memory. It is based on the biographies of more than 85,000 of the most significant historical figures from around the world. All eras and geographical areas are represented. The Historical Popularity Index (HPI) is the most important tool for determining the ranking of the international figures listed in the database. This value provides more accurate results for truly influential figures. Among other things, it estimates the extent to which cultural figures reach the general public. Data science methods are employed to visualise how history is remembered, effectively making the database a ‘collective memory’ of humanity. The database is freely accessible online and can be viewed by anyone. 

Her first name, Bettina, serves as both her signature and her established artist name, representing the clarity and exceptional quality of her work. Passionate and spontaneous, she painted what she saw with great honesty towards herself and her subjects. She developed an independent post-Impressionist art style with expressive elements that rightly claim their place in the art world. Until her death in 2020, Algeria and Solingen were her home bases. Bettina Heinen-Ayech leaves behind a magnificent and diverse body of work. It is the life’s work of an emancipated woman, a great artist, and someone who moved between worlds.

Bettina Heinen-Ayech received considerable recognition during her lifetime. She won the 1993 Culture Prize from the Baden Community Foundation, as well as two state prizes from the Algerian Ministry of Culture in 2009 and 2015 for her entire body of work. She has held over 90 major solo exhibitions in museums and important cultural institutions in Europe and North Africa. Many museums own paintings by the artist. In 2024, the Women’s Council of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany accepted Bettina Heinen-Ayech into the exclusive circle of the most important historical female personalities, ‚FrauenOrte NRW‘ (Women’s Places in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany). She received this recognition in honour of her status as a great artist and as the most important figure of the Solingen Artists‘ Colony, as well as for her commitment to promoting international understanding between the Orient and the Occident.

More at: https://dev.pantheon.world/profile/person/Bettina_Heinen-Ayech