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Dr. Behrens,
born October 20, 1925 in Mount Olive, Illinois, has lived
most of his life in St. Louis. After receiving his M.D.
from Washington University in 1948, Dr. Behrens practiced
surgery in South St. Louis for the next 43 years. Now
retired, his avocation over the past 20 years has been
welded steel sculpture. His accomplishments over the years
include many "Best of Show" from the St. Louis
Senior Art Competition, the 1988 "Reinhardt Prize"
from the St. Louis Artists Guild, the St. Louis Medical
Society Art show, a 1st Prize from the Alton Art and History
Museum Show in 2000, artwork displayed at the Missouri
Botanical Garden and numerous exhibits with City Museum.
The combination
of Dr. Behrens' fascination with the found object combined
with the love of steel and the professional life as a
surgeon, come together in his creation of this series.
As with the other whimsical birds of painted antique tools
and farm objects, his humor and fun references make all
of us smile.
The
Parents and Child Series:
This remarkable exhibit of Dr. Behrens' welded steel sculpture
shows his sensitivity and touch with the hard and rigid
steel being transformed into the elegance and softness
of the animals. His use of the oxygen-acetylene torch
and the arc welder show his fine craftsmanship and artistic
abilities. Parenthood is shown to be of prime importance
in his life. |
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