Carl Levy (banker)
Carl Levy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cologne, Germany |
| Died | January 30, 1938 (aged 81) |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, philanthropist |
| Known for | Banking, philanthropy, art patronage |
Carl Levy (28 June 1856 – 30 January 1938), who also went by the name Carl Hagen, was a Jewish banker and philanthropist from Germany.
Personal life
Originating from a Jewish banking family based in Cologne, Carl was the son of Hermann Abraham Levy and Johanna Levy (née Coppel). His siblings included Albert Levy, recognized as a trailblazer in German social work, and Louis Hagen, who pursued banking and was affiliated with A. Levy & Co. His sisters, Emma and Fanny, married distinguished individuals Hugo Rheinhold and Maximilian Kempner, respectively.
In 1906, Carl adopted the surname Hagen, following his brother Louis's earlier name change in 1893. He wed Katharina Philippi (1864–1906), with whom he fathered four children. Among his notable descendants are screenwriter Hans Oliva-Hagen, singer Nina Hagen, and actress Cosma Shiva Hagen. Beginning in 1895, the family lived at Villa Schwatlo located in Berlin's upscale Tiergarten area, and from 1906 they also maintained Villa Carlshagen as a summer home on Templiner See in Potsdam.
Carl started his career working alongside his brother Louis at their father's Cologne banking institution before taking charge of its Berlin branch. Subsequently, he established his own banking firm, Hagen & Co., situated on Charlottenstrasse in Berlin. The bank focused on financing industrial enterprises, counting BMW among its clients. Carl held numerous supervisory board memberships and was actively engaged with the Jewish relief organization Gesellschaft der Freunde (Society of Friends). He earned the designation of Privy Councilor of Commerce and was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, 4th class, in 1898. From its inception in 1911 until 1936, he supported the Kaiser Wilhelm Society as a patron.
As an arts benefactor, Carl participated in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum Association and contributed significant artworks to the Berlin National Gallery. His donations included Édouard Manet's The House at Rueil (1882) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Children's Afternoon at Wargemont, both acquired in 1906. Together with banker Karl Steinbart, he gifted Claude Monet's The Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois (1906) along with another Monet piece donated in 1907.
His granddaughter Helga Hagen remembered his strong patriotism and dedication to obtaining imperial distinctions, highlighting his generous financial backing of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute as well as his substantial art donations to public museums.
Nazi era
Following the National Socialist rise to power in 1933, the Hagen family endured persecution due to their Jewish background. Both Carl and Louis Hagen were ousted from advisory positions, and their bank experienced a decline amid mounting restrictions. The family was forced to divest their shares in Bayerische Motorenwerke along with other holdings.
By January 1, 1938, the bank had been dissolved. Carl Hagen passed away shortly thereafter on January 30, 1938, at age 81. In that same year, their villa in Berlin-Tiergarten was sold to Berliner-Kindl-Schultheiss-Brauerei and underwent significant modifications.
Carl’s son Hermann Hagen was killed at Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1942. Meanwhile, his grandson Hans survived the Holocaust despite enduring imprisonment and torture at Moabit prison.
Literature
- Günter Braun and Waldtraut Braun: Patronage in Berlin: Civic Responsibility and Cultural Expertise Amid Changing Circumstances. De Gruyter, Berlin 1993, .
- Cella-Margaretha Girardet: Jewish Patrons of the Prussian Museums in Berlin: A Study on Patronage during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. Hänsel-Hohenhausen, Egelsbach 1997, .
- Johann Georg Prinz von Hohenzollern and Peter-Klaus Schuster (eds.): From Manet to van Gogh: Hugo von Tschudi and the Struggle for Modernism. Nationalgalerie Berlin and Neue Pinakothek Munich 1996, .