He trained at the academies in Karlsruhe and Munich, before travelling to Paris in 1903, where he exhibited at several Salons and refined his art under the supervision of Henri Matisse.
After the First World War he lived in Berlin, until the rise of the Nazis, who classed him as ‘degenerate’, drove him into exile. He fled to Italy and with the help of friends he continued to paint and avoid capture.
His end was tragic: two members of the Gestapo, posing as art dealers, convinced Levy to come to a meeting, where he was arrested. Sometime in January 1944, he was part of a transport heading for Auschwitz and it is assumed that he died during the journey.
The sale at Plückbaum (21% buyer’s premium) in Bonn on October 30, showed that interest in Levy works has not waned.
His 22 x 18in (56 x 47cm) Stillleben mit roten Dahlien in Keramikkrug (Still Life with Red Dahlias in a Ceramic Jug) was estimated at €12,000. The German collector on the phone who saw off his numerous competitors had to bid €39,000 (£33,050).
