Oskar Kokoschka and His English Collector Edward Beddington-Behrens: A European Friendship

In 1938, when arriving in England, Oskar Kokoschka was a well-respected painter on the Continent. In England, however, where a general skepticism towards Expressionist art prevailed, he was practically unknown. Public recognition in England only followed in the postwar years. Kokoschka nevertheless did receive support from various benefactors he had not known previously. Among them, the English financier and collector Sir Edward Beddington-Behrens (1897-1968), coming from a family well connected with the arts, is a particular interesting case. This collector arranged commissions from his acquaintances, acquired Kokoschka’s work, helped him financially and provided him with a flat and studio in the 1940s. Beddington-Behrens’ support and motives have so far not been researched in detail.

Both men were politically engaged. Beddington-Behrens was an ardent European and later chairman of the British Council of the European Movement. Kokoschka threw himself into the support of refugee organizations and soon became their major spokesman. However, he declined any ideological political stand-point, but saw himself as a humanitarian, European citizen. This was also reflected in his work, which turned partly political during the war years in England. The paper will look at the painting The Crab, 1939/40, which Beddington-Behrens acquired and the portrait of the Soviet ambassador, Ivan Maisky, a commission arranged by the patron in 1942.

The paper argues that Beddington-Behrens contributed to an English interest in Kokoschka’s art. To Kokoschka, his support was vital in his early English years.