The baron did not keep his art collection to himself. In his home in Switzerland, he allowed visitors to enjoy his immense art collection: he exhibited works by famous masters in the rooms, halls, and even in the park.
He donated his most important collection of non-European art to the city of Zurich, and this donation formed the basis for the Rietberg Museum located there. Valuable paintings by European masters ended up in the Von der Heydt Museum in his birthplace, Wuppertal. The Von der Heydt Museum is the most important art museum in the German city of Wuppertal in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city’s municipal culture prize bears his name.
The baron passed away in 1964.
