Michael Behrens
Artist processes
The Studio
One foundation stone of Behrens’ career was to find the right studio an environment to handle specialized technical equipment, as a suitable power supply to install own furnaces. Behrens began to acquire a highly technical background, enabling him to run the studio independently, but also to push the limits of material and ushering in a new era of kiln casted objects. Just as design and concept, all the main works are done in the studio in Düsseldorf in hundreds of hours of preparing, model and mould making, working on the glass with different techniques, melting the objects and finally, after a long annealing period, releasing the sculpture of the mould, and grinding the structure. A team of well-trained assistants allows to create sculptures of a specific scale. The final touch of the object surface is given by the best skilled grinders from the Czech Republic. The whole process to create this kind of sculptures is time-consuming and demanding as impatience or deviations from the production process are not forgiven.
About the work
Michael Behrens plays with movement and balance in massive objects. Conceptually, the creative power of nature is in the foreground. The series of works Underwater and Seaforms embody his personal experiences above and under water. Deliberately random forms frame internal organic structures that seem frozen in motion. Matte and transparent surfaces alternate, creating a dynamic connection between inside and outside. In complete contrast, each object in the Phoenix series is opaque, and yet precisely because of the opacity, the connection to the outside is maintained. Color also plays no role in this series of works. Thus, the eye is drawn entirely to the contours and surfaces. In the Landscapes, the form is given by nature and represented abstractly in the wall panels, underpinned by structural elements on the multi-layered surface. With the Evolution series, Behrens returns to the interplay of outer and inner form, employing sculptural language to represent continuity and transience. With Touched by Nature, Behrens revisits his earlier passion for photography, creating color gradients that seem more painted than photographed in images of seemingly endless expanse. The works give the viewer room for their own interpretation, and they get the impression of “falling into the picture.”Over the years, Michael Behrens has developed a distinct and characteristic style, becoming one of the most recognized German sculptors in his field. This is now complemented by his photographic works.
Michael Behrens was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1973. In 2003 he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts, Netherlands. The “creative Dutch influence” acquired through his studies can be felt in the conception and elaboration of his works. During his studies, Behrens initially focused on photography and painting, but later concentrated on abstract sculpture and continues to do so today. He founded his own studio in Düsseldorf in 2006, where he still works and lives as an artist. Two years later, after his first solo exhibition in Paris, the Ernsting Foundation invited him to a joint exhibition. The characteristic dynamic shapes and structures as well as the challenging color combinations received international attention.Behrens’vision was and is “to create objects in which the energy of nature is visible and tangible.” In this spirit,he has created five sculptural series of works to date, Underwater, Seaforms, Landscapes, Phoenix, andEvolution;with his sixth and most recent series of works, Touched by Nature, he remains true to his guiding principle, but now realizes it in large-scale photographic works. Since 2003, Behrens’ works are represented in over 250 solo and group exhibitions worldwide
Collections
Basch Collection, Ringling College Galleries–Sarasota, Florida, USA
Palmer Museum of Art–State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Seven Bridges Foundation–Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Fort Wayne Museum of Art–Fort Wayne,Indiana, USA
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum–Neenah, Wisconsin, USA
Imagine Museum–St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Novotný Museum–Nový Bor, Czech Republic
MusVerre–Sars-Poteries, France
MAKK, Museum of applied Arts–Cologne, Germany
Glass Museum Immenhausen–Immenhausen, Germany
Museum of Modern Glass–Öhringen, Germany
Glass Museum Frauenau–Frauenau, Germany
Glass Museum Lauscha–Lauscha, Germany
Achilles Foundation–Hamburg, Germany
Ernsting Foundation–Coesfeld, Germany
Kunstpalast–Düsseldorf, Germany
Solo Exhibitions
2025 Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
2024 Hawk Galleries – Columbus, Ohio, USA
2024 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
2023 Glass Museum Frauenau – Frauenau, Germany
2022 Habatat Detroit Fine Art – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2021 Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
2019 Achilles Foundation – Hamburg, Germany
2019 Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
2018 Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
2017 Habatat Detroit Fine Art – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
2017 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
2015 Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
2014 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
2012 Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
2010 De Glorie Gallery – Oosterbeek, Netherlands
2010 Van Loon & Simons – Vught, Netherlands
2008 Ernsting Foundation – Coesfeld, Germany
2008 Hélène Porée Gallery – Paris, France
Museum Group Shows
The National Liberty Museum – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park – Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Palmer Museum of Art – State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Seven Bridges Foundation – Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Fort Wayne Museum of Art – Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum – Neenah, Wisconsin, USA
Imagine Museum – St. Petersburg, Florida USA
National Glass Museum Leerdam – Leerdam, Netherlands
Michelangelo Foundation, Homo Faber – Venice, Italy
Novotný Glass Museum – Nový Bor, Czech Republic
National Gallery, Kvadrat 500 – Sofia, Bulgaria
MusVerre – Sars-Poteries, France
Kunstpalast – Düsseldorf, Germany
MAKK, Museum of applied Arts – Cologne, Germany
Glass Museum Immenhausen – Immenhausen, Germany
German Museum of Glass Painting – Linnich, Germany
Glass Museum Rheinbach – Rheinbach, Germany
LWL-Industry Museum – Gernheim, Germany
Glass Museum Frauenau – Frauenau, Germany
Glass Museum Lauscha – Lauscha, Germany
Achilles Foundation – Hamburg, Germany
Ernsting Foundation – Coesfeld, Germany
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 PAN Amsterdam with Etienne Gallery – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Continuum Gallery, In the heat of the night – Königswinter, Germany
Art Hofburg, Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
52th International Award Exhibition, Habatat Fine Art Detroit – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Masters of Modern Glass, Shaw Gallery – Naples, Florida, USA
Plateaux Gallery – London, Great Britain
Hawk Galleries, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Raven Gallery Aspen, Colorado, USA
2023 National Gallery, IGB-Kvadrat 500 – Sofia, Bulgaria
Glass Museum Rheinbach, 25 Years Glass Art Society NRW – Rheinbach, Germany
51th International Award Exhibition, Habatat Fine Art Detroit – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Masters of Modern Glass, Shaw Gallery – Naples, Florida, USA
Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
Raven Gallery Aspen, Colorado, USA
2022 Art Hofburg, Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
LWL-Museum Gernheim, InterRegional,– Petershagen, Germany
Achilles-Fundation, Reopening, Sculpture Week – Hamburg, Germany
50th International Award Exhibition, Habatat Fine Art Detroi – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Masters of Modern Glass, Shaw Gallery – Naples, Florida, USA
Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
Galerie Stölting – Hamburg, Deutschland
2021 PAN Amsterdam with Etienne Gallery – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Art & Antique Hofburg Vienna, Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Auistria
German Museum of Glaspainting Linnich, Caught by Glass – Linnich, Germany
49th International Award Exhibition, Habatat Fine Art Detroi – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
National Glass Museum Leerdam, United Collected – Leerdam, Netherlands
In the heat of the night, Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
Glass Museum Frauenau, InterRegional – Frauenau, Germany
Galerie Stölting – Hamburg, Deutschland
2020 Art Palm Beach with Habatat Galleries – Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
Plateaux Gallery – London, Great Britain
Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands
Schiepers Gallery – Hasselt, Belgium
2019 Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA
SOFA Chicago with Habatat Galleries – Chicago, Illinois, USA
Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
PAN Amsterdam with Etienne Gallery – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stölting Gallery – Hamburg, Germany
2018 Homo Faber, Michelangelo Foundation – Venice, Italy
Art Palm Beach, with Habatat Galleries – Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Fort Wayne Museum of Art – Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
MaMa Salvadore Gallery – Venice, Italy
Schiepers Gallery – Hasselt, Belgium
2017 SOFA Chicago with Habatat Galleries – Chicago, Illinois, USA
Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
Plateaux Gallery – London, Great Britain
MaMa Salvadore Gallery – Venice, Italy
Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
2016 Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
Art Palm Beach with Habatat Galleries – Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Ernsting Foundation, New Acquisitions – Coesfeld, Germany
Plateaux Gallery – London, Great Britain
Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany
2015 PAN Amsterdam with Etienne Gallery – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Art Palm Beach, with Habatat Galleries – Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Continuum Gallery, In the heat of the night – Königswinter, Germany
Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada
Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria
