Heyden, Wilhelm

The former owner of the paintings was Wilhelm Heyden, the grandfather of Dorothee Mierisch, née Heyden, who died in 1952. The picture with the mountain hikers is almost certainly a painting by Ferdinand Hodler, as is the picture with the cows, as confirmed by family members. The paintings were part of the inventory of the Heyden family home at Leichhardtstr. 53, Berlin-Dahlem. At the end of the war, Wilhelm Heyden was flown out by the British to Minden to the Petershagen power station, which he founded around 1940 and which has been called the ‘Heyden power station’ since 1952 (see Wikipedia). At the same time, the house was confiscated by American soldiers, used as a casino for the army and the contents of the house, including the paintings, were confiscated. The paintings were presumably taken to the USA.