The Formative Years and Artistic Awakening Born in Barmen, Germany, Alfred Leithäuser began his path toward the canvas through the disciplined halls of the Kunstgewerbeschule Barmen. Under the guidance of Gustav Wiethüchter, he first learned to command the tools of his trade before seeking the broader horizons of Munich and Paris. It was in these great centers of European art that his vision began to coalesce. His early sensibilities l…