About Benny

Benny Cohn was born in 1896 in Copenhagen and studied at the Copenhagen Academy of Fine Arts in 1912-1917.

From 1950 on the artist lived and worked in the USA under the name Benny Collin. He died in Florida in 1980. Cohn worked with many different painting styles, he began working with naturalism and have done many portraits and sunlit scenes with bathing people.

Later Cohn artworks became more abstract and he worked with modern scenes where he painted a lot of Skyscrapers from New York. Cohn was also strongly influenced by music and he often painted modern and abstract scenes while listing to Jazz. Cohn was a member of League of Present Days’ Artists and was exhibited every year at The Riverside museum, he also frequently was exhibited at The American British Art Center.

Main Exhibitions
Charlottenborg: 1915-1976.
Salon d’Automne, Paris: 1921.
Art Club Providence, Rhode Island, USA 1939-40
Appleton Museum, Ocala, Florida, USA May-July 2014
 

Biography

1896: Born – January 2nd Copenhagen, Denmark
1912: Accepted to Royal Academy of Art in Copenhagen, Denmark (Charlottenborg)

1915: First exhibition at Charlottenborg
1917: Graduates from Charlottenborg
1917 – 1928: Spring exhibitions at Charlottenborg
1919: Wins Kings Contest at Charlottenborg for his painting - Naked Young Men on the Beach; scholarship awarded: two year study abroad (Italy and France) and a small gold medal
1919: Moves to Italy to study sculpture and painting
1920: Moves to Paris to attend the Grand Charlimene
1921: Exhibits four paintings at the Salon d'Automne, Paris, France as Benny Cohn
- 507 – Pont Neuf painting
- 508 – Bathsebah painting
- 509 – The Rape of Capri, painting
- 510 – Ariadne, painting
1922 – 1929: Autumn exhibitions at Charlottenborg
1928: Commissioned by Martin G. Hedmark, Swedish architect, to paint the alter piece, The Resurrection of Christ, at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Providence, Rhode Island
1929: Returns to Paris
1933 – 1939: Spring exhibitions at Charlottenborg
1939: Autumn exhibition at Charlottenborg
1939: Moves to America, becomes US citizen
1939 – 1940: Exhibits at Art Club Providence, Rhode Island
1940 – 1946: Exhibits regularly at American British Art Center, League of Present Day Artists and Riverside Museum, New York, New York
1946: Returns to Copenhagen, Denmark to assist family in war recovery
1947 – 1948: Winter exhibition at Charlottenborg
1950: Returns to America to work with Hedmark, paints decorative pieces for the Lebanon Lutheran Church in Bristol, Connecticut
1952: Paints altar piece for Bethany Lutheran Church, Mural on Bethany
1952: Moves to Boston
1952: Altarpiece for the Lanquist Memorial Chapel, Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Ch., Chicago, IL
1953: Moves to Newport, Rhode Island
1954: Finishes and exhibits the alter piece for the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Lakewood NY; The Transfiguration of Christ
1958: First exhibition of all geometric abstract art; Belcourt Castle, Newport, Rhode Island
1960: Exhibition at Belcourt Castle
1960: Exhibits one paining at the Salon D’Automme, Paris, France as Benny
- 152 Counterpoint Dynamic
1968: Presents a painting through the Danish American Society to Princess Margrethe of Denmark on the occasion of her wedding
- Violet Fugue
1968 – 1969: Spring exhibitions at Charlottenborg
1971 – 1976: Spring exhibitions at Charlottenborg
1980: Died January 10th, Jacksonville, Florida

Influencial Travels 
Italy: 1919-1920
Paris: 1921-1932
USA: 1939-1980

Download booklet on his life