Alfred Flechtheim: Galerien G.m.b.H

Düsseldorf:
Management: Alfred Flechtheim, Hans Fehr, Betty Flechtheim, Gustav Kahnweiler, Alexander Vömel (from 1923)
Opening: 1913
Closure: 1933

Alfred Flechtheim opened a gallery at Alleestrasse 7 in Düsseldorf in December 1913 with the support of his friend, the art dealer Paul Cassirer. The following year Flechtheim entered military service and had the contents of his gallery auctioned on 5 June, 1917 by Paul Cassirer and Hugo Helbing. After World War I, Flechtheim opened a gallery at Königsallee 34 in 1919. It was temporarily managed by Gustav Kahnweiler before Flechtheim succeeded in winning Alexander Vömel as a member of staff to run the gallery in 1922. Vömel had completed his training as a bookseller in Frankfurt and was initially sent to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler’s gallery in Paris for training. He was appointed director of the gallery in Düsseldorf in November 1926 and retained this position until May 1933.

Berlin:
Management: Alfred Flechtheim
Opening: 1921
Closure: 1933

The situation in the Rhineland area was difficult, not least of all due to its occupation by the French. The art dealer Flechtheim, therefore, initially established a base in rooms in Berlin occupied by his friend Cassirer before he managed to open his own gallery at Lützowufer 13 together with Gustav Kahnweiler (1895–1989). Gustav was the younger brother of the Paris-based German art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (1884–1979) who was the Galerie Flechtheim’s most important partner for French Modernist works. Curt Valentin (1902–54) worked for Flechtheim in the gallery in Berlin from 1928 at the latest. He had previously worked in Hamburg in the book and publishing world before entering the art trade. After Flechtheim’s emigration he changed to the Galerie Karl Buchholz.

Frankfurt:
Management: Gustav Kahnweiler
Opening: 1921
Closure: 1925

Alfred Flechtheim and Gustav Kahnweiler initially opened a branch gallery on 9 August, 1921, at Gärtnerweg 63 before sharing a premises the following year with Mario Uzielli and Heinrich Tiedemann, who ran the bookshop Reitz & Kölher at Schillerstrasse 15 where Alex Vömel had completed his apprenticeship. Gustav Kahnweiler was in charge of managing the gallery that was named Flechtheim & Kahnweiler straight away. The business existed up until 1925.

Cologne:
Management: Wilhem Graf von Kilmannsegg, Otto Erich Jaffé, Andreas Becker (from 1924)
Opening: 1922
Closure: 1925

Flechtheim founded another branch in Cologne (Schildergasse 69/73) under the direction of Wilhelm Graf von Kielmansegg and the art historian Dr. Erich Otto Jaffé that shut down just three years later in 1925. After a new start in 1924, Andreas Becker (1894–1972) took on the management with one employee, Aloys Faust. Becker initially dealt with legal matters in Flechtheim’s gallery in Frankfurt.

Vienna:
Management: Lea Bondi for the Galerie Würthle
Representative for the Galerie Flechtheim: 1922–31

In late 1923 a cooperation agreement was made with Lea Bondi-Jaray (1880–1969) from the Galerie Würthle & Sohn Nachfolger of Vienna (until around 1932) which, in turn, was closely associated with the Galerie Simon (from 1920 in cooperation with Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler and André Simon) in Paris.