Success has many fathers: the five generations of the family Paffrath
1867 – 1878: Johann Baptiste Paffrath
The master carpenter Johann Baptiste Paffrath lays the foundation for the Kunsthaus Paffrath.
1878 – 1918: Georg Paffrath
With the general upswing in Düsseldorf as an industrial and commercial city in the Wilhelmine era the gallery Paffrath grows on the Jacobistraße 14a. Under Georg Paffrath and his wife Toni, the family’s carpentry workshop is tranformed once and for all into an art dealership, where wealthy citizens purchase works by Achenbach and other contemporary painters of the Düsseldorf School. The gallery develops into a renowned art institution and, in 1914, moves to Königsallee 46.
1918 – 1944: Hans and Georg Paffrath
The brothers Hans and Georg share the management of the gallery and expand the portfolio of artists to include other nineteenth century masters. Relations with artists and collectors from England, Italy, France, Scandinavia, and the USA make Paffrath an important player within the international artworld. This is complemented by intensive advisory work for large German museums.
1948 – 1987: Hans-Georg Paffrath
After the destruction and the interruption of business during the final years of the war, Hans-Georg Paffrath restores both the building and the business with great determination. The gallery regains its former renowm, going back to its artistic roots and portfolio of artists.
1987 to present: Hans Paffrath
Hans Paffrath, the current gallery owner, now carries on in the fifth generation that which distinguished the founder of the Paffrath family business: the enthusiasm for important paintings of the nineteenth century, especially from the Düsseldorf School of Painters, and the abilty to market this to the benefit of an international clientele. This specialization also makes Hans Paffrath an important advisor for museums and publishers of selected literature on art. Under his direction, the gallery’s exhibition program has been expanded to include Scandinavian art and contemporary painting.
