The Heinemann Gallery, a

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

art dealership founded in 1872, was

Aryanized Aryanization () was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. It entailed the tra ...

under the Nazis by Friedich Heinrich Zinckgraf.

The gallery before 1933

Originally located on Promenadeplatz in Munich, the gallery moved to Prinzregentenstraße, and from 1904 to Lenbachplatz. The art dealership had branches in Frankfurt am Main, Nice and New York, with numerous exhibitions in 19th century and French painting in particular. From 1890 the three sons of the art dealer Heinemann took over the business: Hermann (1857–1920) managed the Munich parent company, the eldest brother Theodor (1855–1933) headed the New York branch, Theobald (1860–1929) the branch in Nice.

The gallery during the Nazi period 1933-1945

After Theobald's death in 1929, the latter's widow, Franziska Heinemann (1882–1940), daughter of

Joseph Schülein Tomb of Josef Schülein at the New Israelite Cemetery in Munich "Malt boy" on the Schüleinbrunnen in Berg am Laim, Munich Joseph Schülein (31 March 1854 in Thalmässing – 9 September 1938 at castle Kaltenberg, Geltendorf) was a German brewer ...

, took over the gallery together with her son Fritz (1905–1983) until it was expropriated by Nazis at the end of 1938.

Aryanization by Zinckgraf

The final "

Aryanization Aryanization () was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis powers, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. It enta ...

" took place at the end 1939. Fritz Heinemann had already emigrated to Switzerland in January 1938 and left the company as a partner. Friedrich Heinrich Zinckgraf (1878–1954), a non-Jewish employee of the gallery, took over at the end of 1939.

Nazis imprison Franzicka Heinemann

After the pogroms on 9/10 November 1938 Franziska Heinemann was sent to the Stadelheim prison by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

. She was forced to cede her art possessions and sell all of her property to finance her emigration. Zinckgraf offered little more than the purchase price for the painting collection, a value that was 60% below market prices. For the gallery house, he offered 20% below the unit value and thus a price well below the market price.

Hjalmar Schacht silent partner

With the help of a large loan of 275,000 Reichsmarks from his friend, the powerful financier

Hjalmar Schacht Horace Greeley Hjalmar Schacht (); 22 January 1877 – 3 June 1970) was a German economist, banker, politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank during the ...

, Zinckgraf was able to carry out this Aryanization at the end of 1939. Zinckgraf_-Heinemann_Anzeige_8-1940

Zinckgraf became the official owner of the Heinemann gallery, with

as silent partner (40% share of future profits). Franziska Heinemann fled to New York where she died on November 17, 1940.

The Zinckgraf years

Zinckgraf operated under the Heinemann names until May 1941 when he changed the name of the Galerie Heinemann to Galerie Zinckgraf .

After 1945

Franziska's son Fritz returned to Munich after 1945 and was again active as an art dealer. In 1972 he transferred the gallery's business documents to the German Art Archive in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. These were put online by the museum in 2010.

Literature

* Birgit Jooss: ''Galerie Heinemann. Die wechselvolle Geschichte einer jüdischen Kunsthandlung zwischen 1872 und 1938''. In: G. Ulrich Großmann (Hrsg.): ''Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums''. Nürnberg 2012, S. 69–84
online
. * Birgit Jooss: Die Geschäftsunterlagen der Galerie Heinemann. Eine bedeutende Grundlage für die weiterführende Provenienzforschung. In: ''Provenienzforschung in deutschen Sammlungen. Einblicke in zehn Jahre Projektförderung''. Hrsg. vom Deutschen Zentrum Kulturgutverluste (Provenire 1) Magdeburg, Berlin u. a. 2019, ISBN 978-3-11-061746-7, S. 265–272.

References

External links

* http://heinemann.gnm.de/ * http://www.otto-piltz.net/heinemann.htm {{Authority control 1872 establishments Companies acquired from Jews under Nazi rule