There are life stories with countless plot twists and then there is that of Carmen Cervera. Tita Thyssen, Tita Cervera, the eternal baroness. The one from Sitges has no shortage of nicknames. And there will never be as many adventures as she can boast of having lived at 81 years old. She was Miss Spain, she rubbed shoulders with Hollywood faces like Marilyn Monroe and, among a thousand and one anecdotes, she did not resist love. There were three husbands of hers that she had, with the peculiarity that they were always men older than her. Lex Barker, Spartacus Santorini and the great love of him: Heini, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza and his passport to high society.
Also the ‘father’ of her first child, although in no case was he Borja Thyssen, his biological son. The aristocrat, who before marrying Tita had already had four other women, with four of his children, had no qualms about adopting him. In reality, and although many years passed until paternity was revealed, the child had been the result of a relationship with Santander publicist Manolo Segura. But as in the nuptials, Carmen also fulfilled the task of having three children. It was in 2007, at 62 and five years after being widowed, she made the decision to adopt two twins. Carmen and Sabina, newborns in the United States through surrogate. The same ones that this 2024 meet adulthood.
CARMEN, the ‘applied’ twin who will inherit Tita Cervera’s artistic empire
In these almost 18 years, the girls’ exposure has been intermittent and has only usually taken place exclusively. Without going any further, in May 2008, the faces of the little girls were publicly presented to the world as the cover of the magazine ‘Hello!’. However, as time went by, this only seemed to have become the way to show them to the gallery. A protection mechanism to avoid excessive intrusion into privacy that comes to an end in a matter of weeks, because this July 6 they turn 18. Young people almost adults who themselves Tita has protected since they arrived in his arms, and about which more and more details are known.
At the end of the day, and although they still have a long life journey ahead of them, at ages like this, the personalities of both are already more defined. María del Carmen von Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva Cervera, which is the full name of the eldest of the sisters, was defined as the most diligent of the ‘little couple’ in an interview of the baroness with ‘Espejo Público’. “The oldest wants to go to university. She is one of the best students at her school,” Tita said in her talk with Miquel Valls. The above, and then add that, although she is “of little fighting”, sometimes “I tell him to stop” because “she just studies, studies and studies.”
Without a doubt, and in accordance with the rest of the statements that the collector has made in the past about the personality of her other daughter, it seems that it is increasingly clear that she will be the one follow in his footsteps in the art world. The heir to Tita’s empire, in a few words, because Sabina has different interests. Her mother is still the woman who fulfilled the task of bringing to Spain the most important private collection of works in the world. A path that could be read as similar to that of her brother Borja, who has been actively collaborating with the family museums for years. He, who also he is a collectoris dedicated to expanding the collection and lending pieces for samples when appropriate.
Carmen’s last gesture with which she distances herself from her sister Sabina
As an heir—of fortune and literal love for art—Tita Thyssen’s first-born son has been present at moments so relevant to the clan’s legacy. See the signing of the mother and son agreement with the Ministry of Culture for the lease of the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in exchange for 6.5 million euros annually. Borja, who is the 30% owner, also makes a profit, so he also had to attend the appointment. However, to the surprise of many and although the typology of the event was very different, the last one to appear with mother at an evening related to the topic was Carmen. Hand in hand with Carmen’s mother and even posing at the ‘photocall’ of the gala organized by Harper’s Bazaar, in which the baroness was awarded the prize Bazaar Women in Art.
Visible to the press and the rest of the attendees as the ‘only’ companion. And neither Borja, nor his wife Blanca Cuesta, nor the twin Sabina were there. The definitive proof that she has been the ‘chosen one’ to continue the path of the matriarch in the sector, and even Tita herself made it clear to those present. Because while Carmen is truly interested in the matter, her ‘little sister’ takes art in other directions. “She is more of an artist, she loves to draw and makes comics. She picks up the accent of any language, she makes you a Russian, an American,” her mother also told Susanna Griso’s space. So equal and at the same time so different.
