Michael Behrens My story Michael Behrens was born in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1973. From the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts in the Netherlands he received a BFA in 2003. During studies, Behrens had a proclivity for photography and abstract painting, but sculpture emerged as his true passion. Both artistical talent and technical skills led him to work as an independent artist. In 2006, he founded his own studio in Düsseldorf, where he still works and lives. Two years later, right after his first solo show in Paris, France, the Ernsting Foundation invited him to exhibit with his former professor from art school, Peter Bremers. His work received international attention due to strong color combinations and dynamic structures and shapes. “My vision was and is to create objects in which you can see and feel the energy of nature”, Behrens says. Till today, he created four different series: Underwater-World, Landscapes, Seaforms and Phoenix. For 15 years now, Behrens’ sculptures are regularly shown at international art fairs and in galleries, and are present in private and public collections around the globe. About the work Michael Behrens plays with the idea of movement and balance in massive solid glass objects. The series Underwater world and Seaforms embody decades of personal sensory experiences above and below water. Deliberately random, yet strong shapes line organic inner structures, velvet and transparent surfaces alternate, thereby creating a dynamic harmony of inside and outside. The sculptural and technical exploration of structure is concentrated in the Landscapes: form is predefined by nature, so that structure is brought to the fore. With Phoenix, Behrens focusses on the abstract formal language in his sculptural work. The observer’s eye is drawn to the outlines and surfaces as every object is opaque. Over the years, Michael has developed his exclusive and notable style and has become one of the most recognized German sculptors in his field. The Studio One foundation stone of Behrens’ career was to find the right studio with both positive energy and an environment to handle specialized technical equipment, as a suitable power supply to install own furnaces. Already in younger age, 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. Biography Michael Behrens was born in Düsseldorf in 1973. He studied at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts in the Netherlands, where he received a BFA in 2003. His work has been part of numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe, United States and Canada. He lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany. Selected Solo Exhibitions 2023 Glass Museum Frauenau – Frauenau, Germany2021 Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, Canada2019 Achilles Foundation – Hamburg, Germany2019 Continuum Gallery ­– Königswinter, Germany2018 Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria2017 Habatat Galleries – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2017 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands2015 Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria2014 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands2012 Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany2010 De Glorie Gallery – Oosterbeek, Netherlands2010 Van Loon & Simons – Vught, Netherlands2008 Ernsting Foundation – Coesfeld, Germany2008 Hélène Porée Gallery – Paris, France Selected Group Exhibitions 2021 Glass Museum Frauenau, InterRegional – Frauenau, GermanyPAN Amsterdam with Etienne Gallery – Amsterdam, NetherlandsNational Glass Museum Leerdam, United Collected – Leerdam, NetherlandsMuseum for Art and Cultural History, Manufactum – Dortmund, GermanySplash Exhibition, Habatat Galleries – St. Petersburg, Florida, USAIn the heat of the night, Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany 2020 Art Palm Beach with Habatat Galleries – Palm Beach, Florida, USASchantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USASandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, CanadaPlateaux Gallery – London, Great BritainEtienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, NetherlandsSchiepers Gallery – Hasselt, Belgium 2019 Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USASOFA Chicago with Habatat Galleries – Chicago, Illinois, USASandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, CanadaContinuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany PAN Amsterdam with Etienne Gallery – Amsterdam, NetherlandsStölting Gallery – Hamburg, Germany2018 Homo Faber, Michelangelo Foundation – Venice, ItalyArt Palm Beach, with Habatat Galleries – Palm Beach, Florida, USA Schantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA Fort Wayne Museum of Art – Fort Wayne, Indiana, USAMaMa Salvadore Gallery – Venice, Italy Schiepers Gallery – Hasselt, Belgium 2017 SOFA Chicago with Habatat Galleries – Chicago, Illinois, USASchantz Galleries – Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USASandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, CanadaPlateaux Gallery – London, Great BritainMaMa Salvadore Gallery – Venice, Italy Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria 2016 Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, CanadaArt 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, NetherlandsHabatat Galleries – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA Sandra Ainsley Gallery – Toronto, CanadaSikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, AustriaContinuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany 2014 Fort Wayne Museum of Art – Fort Wayne, Indiana, USAHabatat Galleries – Royal Oak, Michigan, USA Pismo Galleries – Denver, Colorado, USA Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany 2013 Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park – Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA Ernsting Foundation – Coesfeld, Germany Kunstpalast – Düsseldorf, Germany Pismo Galleries – Denver, Colorado, USA Sikabonyi Gallery – Vienna, Austria 2012 Pismo Galleries – Denver, Colorado, USA Leon Salet Gallery – Maastricht, Netherlands LWL - Museum, Glashütte Gernheim – Gernheim, Germany 2011 SOFA Chicago with Habatat Galleries – Chicago, Illinois, USA Continuum Gallery – Königswinter, Germany2010 Bullseye Gallery – Portland, Oregon, USA Kunstpalast – Düsseldorf, Germany 2009 Etienne Gallery – Oisterwijk, Netherlands Hélène Porée Gallery – Paris, France 2008 Leon Salet Gallery – Maastricht, Netherlands Hélène Porée Gallery – Paris, France Selected Collections Imagine Museum ­– St. Petersburg, Florida, USASeven Bridges Foundation – Greenwich, Connecticut, USAKunstpalast – Düsseldorf, GermanyAchilles Foundation – Hamburg, GermanyErnsting Foundation – Coesfeld, GermanyMusVerre – Sars-Poteries, FranceNovotný Museum – Nový Bor, Czech RepublicGlass Museum Immenhausen – Immenhausen, GermanyGlass Museum Lauscha – Lauscha, GermanyMuseum of Modern Glass – Öhringen, Germany Honors 2018 Collector´s Award, 46th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition, Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2017 Imagine Museum of Glass Award, 45th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition, Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2014 Charles Shepard Fort Wayne Award, 42nd Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition, Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2013 Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award, Selected Entries, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany2013 Frederic Meijer Sculpture Award, 41st Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition, Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2012 Collector´s Award, 40th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition, Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2011 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Award, 39th Annual International Invitational Award Exhibition, Habatat Galleries Royal Oak, Michigan, USA2009 State Prize for Sculpture, North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, Germany2009 Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award, Selected Entries, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany Projects and Teaching Experience 2013 SAP Pinnacle Award, Selected Artist, Walldorf, Germany – Orlando Florida, USAsince 2011 Focus on own sculptural work, objects of the series Seaforms, Landscapes and PhoenixConcept creation for solo exhibitions for galleries and museums2009 Project management sculptural kiln-casting techniques, Arte Vetro, Damascus, Syria2008/2009 Lectureship on sculptural figures, Technical University of Darmstadt, faculty of architecture, Darmstadt, Germany2004/2007 Project management abstract sculpting, model and mould making, PUM Netherlands Senior Experts, Den Haag, The Netherlands – Ethiopian-Reflections, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia2004 MusVerre – Ateliers, workshop glassblowing and hot glass techniques, Nicolas Morin,Sars-Poteries, France Artist in Residence 2010 Artista Forum, Schott AG, Grünenplan, Germany2009 TGK Glass, IGS Glass Symposium, Nový Bor, Czech Republic 2008 Artista Forum, Schott, Grünenplan, Germany2007 Uroboros Glass Studios, Portland, Oregon, USA2006 Artista Forum, Schott, Grünenplan, Germany Selected Publications: 2019 Phoenix & Seaforms - Michael Behrens, authors Dr. Susann Just, Britt HeinkerContinuum Gallery, Königswinter, GermanyCatalog softcover, solo exhibition, 48 pagesISBN 978-3-9820728-0-7 2019 New Series of Works, Phoenix – Michael Behrens, author Dr. Markus Klingenberg New Glass – Neues Glas, Art & Architecture, published by Klotz, Köln, Germany Magazine 1/2019, article, pages 32-35 ISSN 0723-2454 2017 Solid Thoughts - Michael Behrens, author Corey HampsonHabatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan, USACatalog softcover, solo exhibition, 48 pagesISBN 978-1-928572-07-7 2017 Next – 45th Annual International Award Exhibition, authors Corey Hampson, Aaron Schey Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan, USACatalog softcover, group exhibition, page 14ISBN 978-1-928572-06-0 2016 … Who would have thought it! (…Wer hätte das gedacht!) Glass Museum Alter Hof Herding,authors Dr. Ulrike Hoppe-Oehl, Lilly Ernsting, Julia GeldmannPublished by Ernsting Foundation, Coesfeld, Germany Book hardcover, main catalog of the collection, pages: cover, 49, 58ISBN: 978-3-00-053374-7 2014 Seaforms and Landscapes – Michael Behrens, interview Dr. Markus Klingenberg Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk, NetherlandsCatalog softcover, solo exhibition, 32 pages 2013 Visions – 41st Annual International Award Exhibition, authors Ferdinand Hampson, William Warmus Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan, USACatalog softcover, group exhibition, page 13ISBN 978-1-928572-01-5 2013 Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award, selected entries, author Dr. Dedo Kerssenbrock-Krosigk Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany New Glass – Neues Glas, published by Ritterbach, Köln, Germany Magazine 4/13, article, page 76 ISSN 0723-2454 2012 Inspiration from the Deep Sea and Outer Space, author Dr. Helmut Ricke, Düsseldorf, Germany New Glass – Neues Glas, published by Ritterbach, Köln, Germany Magazine 3/12, article, page 36-43 ISSN 0723-2454 2012 Seaforms & Landscapes – Michael Behrens, author Dr. Helmut Ricke, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, GermanyContinuum Gallery, Königswinter, GermanyCatalog softcover, solo exhibition, 48 pages 2012 Rotation SiO2 – 200 Jahre Glashütte Gernheim, authors Dr. Katrin Holthaus, Michael FunkPublisher LWL- Industry Museum and Klartext, Essen, GermanyBook hardcover, group exhibition, pages 12-13ISBN 978-3-38375-0774-4 2011 Expressions – 39th Annual International Award Exhibition, author Ferdinand HampsonHabatat Galleries, Royal Oak, Michigan, USACatalog softcover, group exhibition, pages 16-17ISBN 978-1-4276-5143-3 2010 Glaspekte, Artists from North Rhine-Westphalia in a dialogue, author Dr. Dedo von KrosigkPublisher Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, GermanyBook hardcover, group exhibition, pages 6-7 2010 E-Merge, A Showcase of Rising Talents in Kiln-Glass, author Lani McGregorBullseye Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USACatalog softcover, group exhibition, pages 39 2009 Recent acquisitions of glass sculpture at the Glasmuseum Hentrich, Düsseldorf, author Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, GermanyThe Burlington Magazine Publications Limited, London, Great BritainMagazine, Nr. 1275, Vol. 151, article, Juni 2009, page 394f. ISSN 0007-6287 2008 Underwater-World and Icebergs, Michael Behrens and Peter Bremers, author Dr. Helmut Ricke, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany Ernsting Foundation, Coesfeld, GermanyCatalog softcover, group exhibition, pages 1-24