Victor Hammer (businessman)

Victor J. Hammer (November 1, 1901 – July 21, 1985)[1] was a businessman, the founder and owner of Hammer Galleries in New York City, and a philanthropist.

For the painter and typographer, see Victor Hammer.
Victor Hammer
Born(1901-11-01)November 1, 1901
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 21, 1985(1985-07-21) (aged 83)
New York City, U.S.
EducationPrinceton University (B.A.)
Spouses
Barbara
​
(div. 1928)​
    ​
    (m. 1941)​
    Children2
    RelativesArmand Hammer (brother)

    Early life and education

    Hammer was born in New York City, to Ukrainian-born Jewish immigrants, Julius and Rose (née Lipshitz) Hammer.[2][3] His father came to the United States from Odessa in the Russian Empire (today Ukraine) in 1875, and settled in The Bronx, where he ran a general medical practice and five drugstores. Victor Hammer attended Princeton University, where he graduated in 1921 with a degree in art history.[4][5] His older brother was businessman Armand Hammer.

    Career

    He was business partner of his brother Armand on several business ventures, including Hammer Galleries in New York City, founded in 1928 as a way to funnel profits made in the Soviet Union out of that country.[6] At one point, British Intelligence believed Hammer Galleries was a front for Soviet Intelligence.[7] The Hammer brothers had been in contact with Soviet authorities for a number of reasons, such as famine relief, as well as when the Soviets sought a buyer for the treasures of the Hermitage Museum as a way to earn hard currency.[8] Victor was responsible for acquisitions for Hammer Galleries, including the so-called Romanov Treasures and Fabergé eggs.[5][9] In 1937, Time described Victor and Armand as "Two of the most startling characters in the U.S. art world are the Brothers Armand and Victor Hammer, one with a medical degree, both friends of Soviet Russia."[10]

    According to Fabergé expert Geza von Habsburg, Victor stated that Stalin's trade commissar Anastas Mikoyan provided Fabergé hallmarking tools to his brother Armand to sell fakes. Victor stated a 1938 New York sale he ran with Armand, which grossed several million dollars, consisted of both genuine and faked items (called Fauxbergé by Habsburg), with commissions going back to Mikoyan.[11]

    Philanthropy

    Hammer was a philanthropist. Alongside his brothers Harry and Armand, he purchased the Roosevelt estate on Campobello Island in New Brunswick and donated it to the United States and Canada as the countries' first joint park, known as Roosevelt Campobello International Park.[12]

    Personal life

    Hammer's first wife, Barbara, was a performer of gypsy romances. In 1927, their son Armand was born. They divorced in 1928.[13] Hammer's second wife was Ireene Wicker; they had a daughter: Nancy Hammer Eilan.[14]

    References
    1. "Victor Hammer in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
    2. Names of parents
    3. Epstein, Edward Jay (1998). Dossier: the secret history of Armand Hammer. Orion Business. p. 34. ISBN 0752813862.
    4. "Victor Hammer '21". Retrieved 2008-09-30.
    5. "The Armand Hammer Collection". Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
    6. "Gallery News". Archived from the original on 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
    7. Epstein, Edward Jay (1999-09-09). Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer (paperback ed.). Da Capo Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-7867-0677-8. British Intelligence ... had even monitored the movements of his brother Victor in Egypt (then a British protectorate) on the suspicion that the Hammer Galleries were a front for the Soviet intelligence service.
    8. "Collecting for his country: Robert Oresko applauds a definitive biography of Andrew Mellon, which illuminates his key role in the creation of the National Gallery in Washington, DC". Retrieved 2008-09-30.
    9. "T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection interview of Virginia Carmouche". Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
    10. "Hammer Icons". Time. 1937-08-16. Archived from the original on May 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
    11. "Faberge show exposes market in fakes". UPI. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
    12. "Remarks at the Signing of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Agreement". Retrieved 2008-09-30. Among those present were the Hammer brothers who had earlier purchased Campobello, summer home of President Roosevelt, from his son Elliott. Dr. Armand Hammer, of Los Angeles, president of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and co-owner with his brothers, Harry and Victor, of the Hammer Galleries in New York City, donated Campobello Island to the United States and Canada in the hope that it would be used as a meeting place for conferences to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
    13. Armand Hammer. "My twentieth century. Ways and meetings." “Progress” Publishing House, Moscow. 1988
    14. Los Angeles Times: "Art Dealer Victor J. Hammer, Armand's Brother, Dies" July 24, 1985
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