Lecture on the 50th anniversary of the death of Felix Weil (1898-1975)

Felix Weil died in the USA on September 18, 1975. His life was characterized by many facets and reflected many significant events of the 20th century. He felt particularly connected to the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, which he founded with his fortune and had a decisive influence on in its early years. For Weil, the Institute was his "life's work". With the critical theory based on it, it gained great international importance. Nevertheless, Weil was often only marginally or distortedly portrayed in the history of the Institute. The 50th anniversary of Felix Weil's death now provides an opportunity to correct this view.

Felix Weil was much more than the patron of the Institute. Born in Argentina to a Jewish family from northern Baden, he took part in the November Revolution, co-founded a socialist university group and was a delegate to the Communist International. He also worked for a right-wing government in Argentina, was a tax expert in California, a technical consultant in Hollywood and a lecturer for the US Army in Ramstein. As a patron of the arts, he supported avant-garde and socially critical art, worked as a publisher and also wrote scientific works himself.

The lecture traces Felix Weil's cosmopolitan life, which repeatedly linked him to the Institute for Social Research. It shows both the connections and the differences between Weil and the Institute and provides an insight into the life of a man who took on many roles and went far beyond the role of founder.

Registration Deadline: November 25th, 2025