HUGO KOLKER
Collection of Hugo Kolker
The Kolker Family operated in various fields in pre-war Breslau – industrial, public, and artistic. Hugo Kolker (1845 -1915) managed an oil refinery and a factory producing machine lubricants. He shared his professional responsibilities with his brother Brunon Kolker (born 1848 in Breslau), and after his death, with his nephew Max (born 1881 in Breslau) and Hugo Naphtali (born 1857 in Reichenau, today Dzierżoniów). This family of entrepreneurs also belonged to the cultural elite of pre-war Breslau, united not only by their appreciation for contemporary art but also by passing on this passion to future generations. Their daughters became prominent art dealers, art historians, and patrons of artists.
To fully understand the significance and impact of this family on the artistic life of interwar Germany, it’s essential to explore the familial connections between the Kolkers, Glasers, and Naphtalis. Hugo Kolker and his wife Natalie, née Glaser, had one daughter, Elsa, born in 1878. In 1903, Elsa married her cousin Curt Glaser. According to contemporary accounts, such as Hugo Perls, she had a significant influence on shaping her husband’s artistic ambitions. Inspired and financially supported by Elsa and her father, Curt Glaser studied art history under the guidance of the renowned specialist Heinrich Wölfflin. Hugo Kolker encouraged the young couple to create their art collection, providing them with resources for their initial purchases – they acquired their first van Gogh painting just a year after marriage.
Curt Glaser systematically expanded his knowledge in art and eventually became a recognized art historian. In 1909, he was nominated as the curator of graphic collections in Berlin museums. Fifteen years later, he was appointed the director of the newly established Kunstbibliothek in Berlin. Among Glaser’s many publications is the first monograph on Edvard Munch, dedicated to his father-in-law, Hugo Kolker.
Elsa and Curt Glaser were among the most important patrons and art dealers of contemporary art in Germany. Their home on Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse became a significant hub on Berlin’s artistic map. The impressive collection of modern art amassed by Hugo Kolker was largely facilitated through Curt Glaser’s connections. Glaser directly approached Edvard Munch to purchase his work “Workers in the Snow.” Over time, a lasting relationship developed between the artist and the Kolker family, with Munch portraying several family members.
Hugo Kolker, serving as the consul of Portugal in Breslau from 1904 to 1915, was succeeded in this role by his nephew and co-owner of the refinery, Max Kolker. The Kolker family not only successfully managed their business and actively participated in the city’s public life but also deeply engaged in the artistic circles of their time.
The youngest sister of Max Kolker, Käthe, married the art historian and art dealer Hugo Perls in 1910. Mies van der Rohe designed the Haus Perls villa in Berlin-Zehlendorf at their request, which soon filled with art. After their divorce in 1931, Käthe Perls operated an art gallery in Paris.
Curt’s younger brother, Paul Glaser, also traded artworks, and his wife Elly, née Kolker, was Käthe’s sister. Elly wrote a letter to Edvard Munch, requesting permission to visit his studio in Oslo. The fascination with art extended to almost all members of the Kolker and Glaser families. Anna Naphtali (born 1900), daughter of Hugo Naphtali, a partner and co-owner of the refinery founded by Hugo Kolker, actively participated in the art market. The family home at Kleinburgstraße 7 housed her father’s collection, including works by leading European painters of the 19th century and the next generation: Maurice de Vlaminck and Paul Signac. It also featured German artists such as Anselm Feuerbach, Max Liebermann, Max Slevogt, Wilhelm Leibl, Lovis Corinth, and Wilhelm Trübner. After studying art history in Munich, Anna married the Berlin art dealer Georg Caspari. Together, they ran a prestigious art gallery in the Palace Eichthal in the city center. After her husband’s sudden death in 1930, Anna Caspari continued her art-related activities and independently managed an art gallery in Munich.
Today, the impressive family mausoleum stands as a reminder of the Kolker family, located in the cemetery on Ślężna Street in Wrocław. Designed by Edwin Oppler, a renowned architect of the 19th century in Germany, the mausoleum reflects the Romanesque style and symbolizes the prestige and high socio-economic status enjoyed by the Kolker family in pre-war Breslau.
Literature:
Vierte Ausstellung von Werken moderner Meister aus Breslauer Privatbesitz vom 17. April bis 14. Mai, Schlesisches Museum der bildenden Künste, Breslau 1911.
Paul Cassirer, Hugo Helbing, Deutsche und französische Meister des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts aus Berliner, Breslauer und anderem Privatbesitz, Berlin 1927 (Auction from 17.05.1927).
Der Sammler Curt Glaser / The Collector Curt Glaser: Vom Verfechter der Moderne zum Verfolgten, ed. Anita Haldemann, Judith Rauser, 2022.
