The art collector dubbed the Saatchi of the North today unveiled the new art gallery where he will show some of his prized exhibits in London.
Frank Cohen, 69, has taken over a former Express Dairies depot in Bloomsbury with fellow collector and friend, Nicolai Frahm, 38, to launch The Dairy Art Centre, where they will put on exhibitions of artists that excite them both.
Mr Cohen, who lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and made a fortune from DIY stores, previously opened a foundation in Wolverhampton but then decided he wanted to run a gallery in the capital.
“I’m here on a regular basis. London is where the art scene is. We’re not an institution. We can do what we want. We don’t have to plan three years in advance.” They would continue “as long as it doesn’t kill us,” he said.
Mr Frahm said his family, who used to own Denmark’s largest coffee company, had a foundation there where he had seen how art could make a difference to people’s lives. “It’s quite an amazing thing to be able to do,” he said.
“We don’t have any rules. We’re going to do what we feel is the right thing for us. We both have a great passion for art and a great passion for what we’re doing. The main thing is the shows won’t be boring.”
The opening exhibition is by the 65-year-old Swiss performance artist, painter and sculptor, John Armleder.
Some shows in the space, which measures 12,500 square feet, will include pieces from both men’s private collections while others will depend on loans.
The Dairy, which will be free to visitors, opens on Thursday April 25 just as Charles Saatchi, the original bigshot contemporary art collector, puts on New Order; British Art Today at his gallery in Chelsea.
