The Solingen Artists‘ Colony "Black House" owes its origins to the commitment and attraction of intellectuals and free spirits. First and foremost to the work of a very educated, self-confident and emancipated lady, Erna Heinen-Steinhoff (1898-1969), who, as a muse of the arts, created, cultivated and developed a literary salon in the manner of the 19th century in Solingen at the beginning of the 1920s, a meeting place for painters, writers, musicians and intellectuals. Together with her husband, the business journalist and art-loving lyricist Hanns Heinen (1895-1961), Erna Heinen-Steinhoff developed into an important patron of the arts. The literary protagonists of the "Black House" were joined over the years by three painters. Erwin Bowien (1899-1972), Bettina Heinen-Ayech (1937-2020) and Amud Uwe Millies (1932-2008). Together, the three painting protagonists of the colony formed the "painter triumvirate" of Solingen, which soon attracted general attention with its idiosyncratic artistry. They created portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and captured scenes of everyday life. They found their motifs in the green vegetation of the Bergisches Land and later on extended journeys together.

With a Museum Artists‘ Colony "Black House" Solingen, the identity of this special Artists‘ Colony can be made visible and experienced. It represents an important point of attraction for the city of Solingen and the regions of Bergisches Land and Rhineland.

The planned museum will also honour the exemplary attitude and life’s work of the artist, Nazi opponent and exile Erwin Bowien. Due to political developments, the artist left Germany in 1933 to go into exile in Holland. The Reich Chamber of Culture issued an exhibition ban and had his paintings confiscated by the Gestapo. After the occupation of the Netherlands by the Wehrmacht, he had to go into exile and survived the war in hiding in the Allgäu region of southern Germany. After 1945, he founded the Artists‘ Colony and, as a European before his time, campaigned for international friendship. This project is a great challenge for the Bettina Heinen-Ayech Foundation for the coming years and a significant task that requires the support and assistance of many friends and supporters as well as sponsors.

The Bettina Heinen-Ayech Foundation has launched the project Museum Artists‘ Colony "Black House" Solingen. It sees itself as a pioneer in the creation of a presentation and meeting place for all the intentions of the work of the Artists‘ Colony of the time that are to be preserved. In addition to the works of the Artists‘ Colonists, the planned museum will also present literary friends, sculptors and artists who were close to the Artists‘ Colony. In addition, special exhibitions by other artists can expand the range of exhibits. Due to favourable circumstances, the historic property in which the artists‘ colony maintained its studios is available for this museum project in the Solingen district of Höhscheid. The ensemble consists of two half-timbered houses, the so-called "Black" and "Red" House, and could be extended with a connecting wing to include modern museum rooms and merge into a museum complex. Initial concepts and plans for the planned museum have already been drawn up by Dipl.-Ing. Nicole Molinari and architect Bernd Gringmann, Solingen.

* The admission procedure has not yet been fully completed. The admission of the Solingen Artists‘ Colony "Black House" will be formally ratified at the upcoming General Assembly in Murnau in October 2023. No criteria can be identified that should stand in the way of this ratification of recognition.

**euroart is the "European Federation of Artists´ Colonies". Currently, euroart, the European Federation of Artists’ Colonies, has recognised 49 Artists´ Colonies in 12 countries, including e.g. Barbizon, Worpswede or Murnau am Staffelsee. In February 2021, euroart was granted "Participant Status in the Council of Europe", which rates the association as a unique European network working for greater cultural understanding and cooperation. As a recognised representative of the cultural and creative sectors of civil society, euroart is mandated to participate in the work of the Council of Europe and to actively work to promote connections through art and culture with the aim of working towards a "lasting peace" in Europe.