- Frank Cohen
Frank Cohen (born
15 October ,1943 ) is the founder of Glyn Webb Home Improvement Stores, which is a large chain ofDo It Yourself (DIY) stores in North East, North West, Yorkshire, East Anglia and the Midlands of England. He is also one of the most famous art collectors in the world.Life and career
Frank Cohen began collecting Modern British art in the 1970s. In the late 1980s he became a patron and supporter of the
Young British Artists (YBAs), American and German art of the 1980s and 1990s, contemporary Japanese art (especially theSuperflat movement) and more recently contemporary Chinese and Indian art. He is every year listed in ARTnews magazine’s list of ‘The World’s Top 200 Collectors’ [http://www.artnewsonline.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=2088] and is often referred to as theCharles Saatchi of the North or theMedici of the North. "A short, blustery man with cheerful demeanor and a great sense of humor, he can be found snatching up work at prominent art fairs with the likes ofNicolai Frahm [http://www.artobserved.com/collectors/frank-cohen] ." Cohen opened in January 2007 a foundation in Wolverhampton to show younger artists from his collection called Initial Access [http://www.initialaccess.co.uk] . Today Cohen has become known as one of the most influential promoters of international contemporary art in the world.References
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1400691.ece The Sunday Times, 18 February 2007 | Mr Bigs of Britart buy into China]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/image_galleries/design_for_living_feb_07_gallery.shtml?1 BBC, 7 February 2007 | W'ton's New Art Gallery]
* [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/reviews/tm_method=full%26objectid=18520450%26siteid=50002-name_page.html The Birmingham Post, 23 January 2007 | Frank's design for life]
* [http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/video/news/070116_artcohen Express and Star, 16 January 2007 | Frank Cohen's Initial Access - project space | interview (video)]
* [http://www.forbes.com/collecting/2005/03/09/cx_ahg_0309hot.html Forbes | Top Billionaire Art Collectors]
* [http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article01.asp?id=396 The Art Newspaper, 27 July 2006]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/06/20/bamkt20.xml The Daily Telegraph, 20 June 2006]
* [http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article01.asp?id=311 The Art Newspaper, 15 June 2006]
* [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=azaXNGdDDTxU&refer=culture Bloomberg, 4 July 2006]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20040702/ai_n12088523 The Evening Standard, 2 July 2004]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtmlxml=/arts/2004/06/28/babas26.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/06/28/ixartright.html The Sunday Telegraph, 28 June 2004]
* [http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2787918 The Economist, 24 June 2004]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040622/ai_n12792659 The Independent, 22 June 2004]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20040622/ai_n12087407 The Evening Standard, 22 June 2004]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20040509/ai_n12754797 The Independent on Sunday, 9 May 2004]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20040429/ai_n12084808 The Evening Standard, 29 April 2004]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030713/ai_n12742823 The Independent on Sunday, 13 July 2003]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030713/ai_n12742822 The Independent on Sunday, 13 July 2003]Further reading
*"A Passion For Art: Art Collectors and their Houses" by Irene Gludowacz and Susanne van Hagen (Thames & Hudson, 2006) ISBN 0-500-51256-6
*"Modern Art Now: from Conception to Consumption" by [http://www.carolinewiseman.com Caroline Wiseman] (Strawberry, 2006) ISBN 0-9553194-0-4
*"Moving Targets: A User's Guide to British Art Now" by Louisa Buck (Tate Publishing, 2000) ISBN 1-85437-316-1External links
* [http://www.initialaccess.co.uk Frank Cohen's Initial Access]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/turnerprize/2003/judging_cohen.htm Tate Britain]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.