Michael Behrens (banker)
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15 September 1911
Michael Behrens | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Michael Behrens 15 September 1911 |
| Died | 28 January 1989 (aged 77) |
| Occupation | financier |
| Known for | co-owner of the Ionian Bank |
| Spouse | Helen Constance Felicity Arnold (m. 1936) |
| Children | 3 sons, including Timothy Behrens |
| Parent(s) | Noel Edward Behrens Catherine Vivien Coward |
| Relatives | Betty Behrens (sister) Sir Cecil Coward (grandfather) |
Edward Michael Behrens (15 September 1911 – 28 January 1989) was a British financier, banker, stockbroker, and restaurant and gallery owner, who became co-owner of the Ionian Bank. Through his ownership of the Hanover Gallery, he was an early patron of the artist Francis Bacon.
Edward Michael Behrens was born on 15 September 1911,[1] in Kensington, London.[2] His parents were Noel Edward Behrens (1879–1967), a civil servant until his retirement in 1921 and then a banker, and his wife, Catherine Vivien Coward (1880–1961), the daughter of Sir Cecil Coward (1845–1938).[3] Behrens's elder sister Betty Behrens became an historian and academic.[4]
Career
In 1953, Behrens already owned La Resèrve restaurant. He bought the "influential" Hanover Gallery from Arthur Jeffress. The gallery had been representing Francis Bacon, who had his first solo show there in 1949. It continued to represent him until 1958 when Bacon left for the Marlborough Gallery.[5]
Behrens was visiting the empty gallery for the first time one evening when Erica Brausen, who ran it, mentioned in passing that she would be closing operations the next day.[5][6][7] Behrens was "immediately fascinated" by Bacon's work, and offered to help keep the gallery open.[7] Jeffress "detested" Bacon, which was his chief reason to leave the Hanover Gallery.[7] Jeffress reportedly thought that Behrens also "loathed" Bacon.[5]
In 1958, Behrens and John Trusted, both stockbrokers at the time and directors of the British Bank for Foreign Trade, acquired the long-established Ionian Bank, which had operated in the Greek islands.[8] Ionian Bank became "a leader in North Sea oil".[9]
