 He was born and raised in Manchester where he worked in market stalls before building up the ‘Home Improvement Company’ and then ‘GlynWebb Home Improvement Stores’, a large chain of Do It Yourself (DIY) stores in the north of the United Kingdom.Cohen began collecting art in the 1970s and, upon selling his business in 1997, it became his full-time occupation.He also co-founded the Dairy Art Centre with Nicolai Frahm in 2013, a contemporary art gallery which closed in late 2014.