Twenty-eight frames formerly in the Collection of Paul Levi, London, are on offer in our June 26-27th Fine Auction. View the Paul Levi frame collection in the catalogue >
Paul Levi (1919-2008) was born in the German town of Leipzig. He departed for England in 1935, in order to escape the Nazis. During the War he worked for the Land Army, and afterwards got a job at the famous London firm of F.A. Pollak, himself an émigré from Germany, and soon the leading framers in England.
After an apprenticeship of four years, Paul Levi started his own business, located in the garage of a friend in north London. He went on to supply and advise some of the greatest collections in Europe and the US, including the National Gallery in London, Count Seilern and the National Trust.
His vast warehouse in Chiswick was a point of virtual pilgrimage for all those who loved and appreciated beautiful frames. Neatly stacked, catalogued and numbered frames came from every corner of the Western world, chosen both for their quality and as exemplars of their type. In the course of an extraordinary career spanning nearly 60 years, Paul Levi raised the knowledge of frames and framing to its proper art historical place.
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