On the advice of Man Ray, Marcel Fleiss, Fred Fisher and Philippe Klein founded in 1972 the Galerie des Quatre Mouvements, a gallery that showed Dada, surrealist, Pop and hyperrealist works. Two years later, the gallery participated in its first Art Basel fair. In 1981, Marcel Fleiss launched on his own the Galerie 1900-2000, which succeeded the Quatre Mouvements gallery by broadening the artistic field to other avant-gardes (Lettrisme, Fluxus…) and some contemporary artists (Pol Bury, George Condo, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring’s last exhibition before his death).
In 1991, Marcel Fleiss was joined by his son David, who established links with contemporary artists to create exhibitions and some of the gallery’s booths at art fairs (Joseph Kosuth and Hiroshi Sugimoto at Art Basel, Sylvie Fleury or Laurent Grasso at the gallery). He developed the photography department as well.
In 2003, Aube Elléouët-Breton asked Marcel and David Fleiss to organize the major André Breton sale, which had an international impact.
Still specialized in Dada, surrealist works and its surroundings (Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, Hans Bellmer, Arthur Cravan…), the Galerie 1900-2000 multiplied exhibitions of 1960’s and 1970’s artists (Ed Ruscha, Robert Whitman, Edda Renouf, Bill Copley, Al Hansen…).
With more than 40 years of experience in rediscovering and discovering modern and contemporary artists, more than two hundred national and international exhibitions (both at the gallery and at fairs: Art Basel, Frieze Masters, FIAC, Art Basel Miami Beach…) and more than one hundred published catalogues (with texts by Daniel Abadie, Gladys Fabre, David Bourdon, Robert Nickas, Pierre Restany, Billy Kluver and Julie Martin, Margit Rowell, Jeff Ryan, Timothy Baum, François Letaillieur, Christian Schlatter, Arnauld Pierre, Edouard Jaguer, Bernard Blistène, Alain Jouffroy and many others, some of which are now authoritative), the Galerie 1900-2000 has become a reference in Paris and all over the world.
1950 – 1972 Furs, jazz and Surrealism
In the early 1950s, Marcel Fleiss, called to succeed his father as a furrier in Paris, was sent to New York to learn the trade. The young man felt in love with jazz and photographed the great musicians of the time. His photographs and reviews were published in the magazine ‘Jazz Hot’. Back in France, in the Parisian furrier district, Marcel Fleiss went as neighbor of Drouot and discovered the world of auctions. This is how he became friends with Fred Fisher, who introduced him to the universe of Surrealism. In a gallery in Vence in 1969, Marcel Fleiss met an old man who regretted the fact that no one wanted to buy his drawings: Man Ray. The two men got on well and, after a few years, Man Ray ended up convincing Marcel Fleiss to open a gallery.
1972 – 1976 The Galerie des Quatre Mouvements Marcel Fleiss, Fred Fischer and Philippe Klein bought a former dry cleaner on Université Street: the Galerie des Quatres Mouvements (Dada, Surrealism, Pop Art and Hyperrealism) was born. Man Ray naturally did the first exhibition of the gallery with forty rayographs and Marcel Fleiss welcomed Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí and Julien Levy. Furrier in the morning, gallery owner in the evening, Marcel Fleiss met his first success with the exhibition of American hyperrealists, which attracted collectors such as Daniel Hechter and Daniel Filipacchi. In 1973, Salvador Dalí wrote the introduction to the catalogue « Grands maîtres hypperréalistes américains » and realized a relief engraving. The partner and friend Fred Fisher passed away in 1976.
Main exhibitions
« Man Ray, 40 rayographies » (February 25 – March 25, 1972) « Hypperéalistes américains » (October 25 – November 25, 1972)
« Tom Wesselmann » (March 7 – 31, 1974)
1981 – 1990 The beginnings of the Galerie 1900-2000 Marcel Fleiss extended the initial project of the Galerie des Quatres Mouvements and launched on his own the Galerie 1900-2000 at 8 Bonaparte Street.
As a wink to history, the site was previously occupied by a furrier. Two annexes opened on Penthièvre Street and at 3 Bonaparte Street (Galerie de Poche).
In 1988, Isidore Isou, Maurice Lemaître and Jacques Spacagna participated in the lettrist exhibition. Marcel Fleiss’ friendship with some young artists of the New York scene led to exchanges of artworks. Julian Schnabel even made his portrait. During the exhibition ‘Happenings & Fluxus’ in 1989, Yoko Ono gave a performance at the Beaux-Arts. A few months later, Marcel Fleiss organized a solo exhibition for her, which was a great media success, and an exhibition at the FIAC. Thanks to Yoko Ono, he met Keith Haring. He did the artist’s last exhibition at the ‘Galerie de Poche’ in January 1990.
Main exhibitions
« Les enfants d’Alice. La peinture surréaliste en Angleterre 1930-1960 » (May 13 – June 30, 1982)
« La peinture surréaliste et imaginative en Tchécoslovaquie 1930-1960 » (March 7 – April 15, 1983)
« Francis Picabia. Arc en ciel » (April 6 – May 16, 1985) « Salvador Dali. Douze dessins, 1936-1938. Onze dessins 1947-1948 » (September 28 – October 8, 1987)
« Le Demi-siècle lettriste » (April 11 – May 7, 1988) « Man Ray. Peintures et dessins provenant de l’Atelier » (September 20 – October 18, 1988)
« Joseph Cornell » (March 13 – April 8, 1989)
« Happenings & Fluxus » (June 7 – July, 29 1989) « Yoko Ono » (October 7 – 15, 1989)
« Keith Haring 1983 » (January 15-30, 1990)
« Sol Lewitt. Papiers déchirés de 1975 » (March 5 – 29, 1990) « Dora Maar. Œuvres anciennes » (June 10 – July 27, 1990) « Art conceptuel Formes conceptuelles » (October 8 – November 3, 1990)
1991 – 2007
In 1991, Marcel Fleiss and Dora Maar’s meeting led to her first photography exhibition. That same year, David Fleiss joined his father. Specialist of Marcel Duchamp and photography, he developed the photography department and multiplied exhibition projects with contemporary artists. In 2003, Aube Elléouët-Breton asked his friend Marcel Fleiss to organize the major André Breton sale. In 2007, Roxana Azimi, Harry Bellet, Philippe Dagen, Antoine de Galbert and Emmanuel Guigon were invited to express their view on the Galerie 1900-2000.
Main exhibitions
« Neon & Signs. Antonakos, Flavin, Hamilton, Finlay, Holzer, Jaar, Kosuth » (April 13 – June 1, 1991)
« Roy Lichtenstein, œuvres des années 60 » (June – 29, 1991) « Julian Schnabel » (October 3 – 31, 1991)
« Sol Lewitt, œuvres de 1961 à 1986 » (December 4 – 27, 1991)
« Dora Maar, photos des années 30. » (December 5 – 28, 1991)
« Arthur Cravan poète et boxeur » (April 7 – May 5, 1992) « Clovis Trouille » (December 2 – 31, 1993)
« Pierre Molinier » (October 29 – November 28, 1998) « Arshile Gorky » (June 27 – July 26, 2002)
« Pomerand, Brau et Spacagna » (March 4 – April 11, 2004) « La part du jeu dans le surréalisme » (June 16 – 21, 2004) « Hans Bellmer » (March 2 – April 8, 2006)
« Un regard sur la Galerie 1900-2000 » (March 15 – June 30, 2007)
« Natalia Gontcharova » (September 20 – October 27, 2007)
2008 – …
Since 2008, David Fleiss curates most of the gallery’s exhibitions in collaboration with Marcel Fleiss. While their main focus is on surrealist works (paintings, drawings and photographs), they continue to champion modern art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Main exhibitions
« Francis Picabia. Dessins pour Littérature » (January 10 – February 16, 2008)
« Ed Ruscha. Œuvres sur papier » (October 15 – November 15, 2008)
« Rarissimes » (December 15, 2009 – January 15, 2010) « Robert Whitman » (May 26 – July 23, 2011)
« Underwood » (October 12 – November 12, 2011) « Hans Bellmer. Photographies, dessins » (February 28 – April 30, 2013)
« Purkinje effect », a project by Laurent Grasso (June 22 – July 27, 2013)
« Jean Dubuffet » (October 9 – December 30, 2013) « Richard Prince. New Figures » (May 14 – July 26, 2014)
March 7, 2023 Fleiss-Vallois
Opening of the Galerie 1900-2000 at 1018 Madison Avenue, in New York.
Exhibitions
