Born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1927, Wolf Kahn fled Nazi Germany to Britain through the Kindertransport in the late 1930s. He eventually settled in the United States, where he completed high school and enrolled in the Navy. Following his service, he studied with the legendary teacher and Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann, eventually becoming his studio assistant.
In 1950, Kahn enrolled at the University of Chicago and completed his bachelor of arts degree within one year. He had his first solo exhibition at Hansa Gallery in New York City in 1953 and went on to be represented by Grace Borgenicht Gallery, where he exhibited regularly until 1995.
Kahn was the recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the Award in Art from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Medal of Arts from the State Department. He married the artist Emily Mason in 1957. Their marriage lasted sixty-two years until Emily’s death in December 2019, just a few months before Kahn's passing. The pair lived and worked between New York City and W. Brattleboro, Vermont.
Kahn’s work has been exhibited at galleries and museums throughout North America. His work is held in important museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Find authentic Wolf Kahn paintings and prints on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Miles McEnery Gallery)
Arborium by Wolf Kahn
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New Orleans, LA
Wolf Kahn 1927-2020 American Arborium Signed "W Kahn" (lower right) Oil on canvas A masterwork of modern American landscape painting, Arborium exemplifies Wolf Kahn's revolutiona...
Canvas, Oil
$175,000
“Middleton Place II, 1974” Oil on Canvas West Brattleboro, Vermont Barn Series
By Wolf Kahn
Located in Yardley, PA
A fantastic early painting from Kahn’s iconic barn series depicting Dr. Middleton’s property in West Brattleboro, VT. Here, Kahn turns a familiar rural motif into something hovering ...
Oil, Canvas
$7,200Sale Price|40% Off
"Summer Studio" Wolf Kahn, Vermont Landscape, Abstract Impressionist, Pastels
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Summer Studio, 2012 Signed lower center Pastel on paper 9 x 11 1/2 inches An important member of the second generation New York School, Wolf ...
Paper, Pastel
Landscape in Orange and Turquoise Pastel, Signed, 13x16 Inches
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Provenance The Artist Private Collection, NY (acquired from the above) Private Collection, CT (by descent) Signed in bottom center: W Kahn Wolf Kahn was born in Stuttgart, Germany i...
Pastel, Paper
$100,000Sale Price|20% Off
Glade, 2009
By Wolf Kahn
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Oil on canvas 52 x 36 inches (132.1 x 91.4 cm) Framed dimensions: 53 1/4 x 37 1/4 in Dated and inscribed on verso: 2009/42 Provenance Morrison Gallery, Kent, CT; Private collection,...
Oil
$185,000
Corps de Ballet
By Wolf Kahn
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Signed, original, 1994, oil–on-canvas painting, Corps de Ballet by significant American artist, Wolf Kahn (b. 1927). Winner: Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships. Award in Art from...
Canvas, Oil
$7,500
Wolf Kahn - Ocean Cove, unique signed pastel on paper landscape painting FRAMED
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Ocean Cove, 1996 Pastel on paper painting Hand signed and dated by Wolf Kahn on the lower right Frame included: elegantly matted and framed in a wood frame with UV plexigla...
Oil Pastel, Pastel
Sunlit Hill, 2006
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn paints a row of trees with the sun peeking out from underneath in his stellar oil painting entitled “Sunlit Hill.”
Canvas, Oil
$9,500Sale Price|26% Off
"Four Winds" Blue House with White Roof in Yellow Field Abstract Landscape
By Wolf Kahn
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract drawing of a blue house in a yellow field by German-American painter, Wolf Kahn. Signed and dated by the artist in the lower right corner. Framed and matted in a silver wood...
Paper, Pastel
$1,250
H 29.5 in W 37 in D 2 in
Vintage Southwest Adobe Landscape Original Pastel Painting c.1985
Located in San Francisco, CA
Vintage Southwest Adobe Landscape Original Pastel Painting c.1985 Outstanding late 20th century pastel painting by mystery artist. The painting is s...
Pastel
“Town on Lake Lucerne”
By Paul D. Running
Located in Southampton, NY
Oil on canvas painting in a Post Modern style by the American artist, Paul D. Running. Signed lower right. Titled verso. Condition: Good. The town in the painting is Weggis, a resort town on Lake...
Canvas, Oil
$18,867
H 43.5 in W 59.25 in D 1 in
Huge 1600's Flemish Old Master Oil Painting Tobias & The Angel Baroque Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Tobias & The Angel Flemish Baroque Old Master, circa 1600 circle of Paul Brill (Flemish 1554-1626) oil painting on canvas, 43.5 x 59.25 inches condition: very good, restored and read...
Canvas, Oil
$985
H 17.5 in W 25.5 in D 1 in
1930s Mexican City Scene by Chicago Artist Francis Chapin, City Plaza, Guaymas
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A charming, vibrant, 1930s Modern Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a picturesque view of a quiet square in the hist...
Oil, Canvas
$1,297Sale Price|26% Off
H 25.6 in W 31.89 in
Seascape of Sitges Spain oil on canvas painting mediterranean
By Jordi Pagans Montsalvatje
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Frameless Jordi Pagans Montsalvatge began his artistic career in 1948. In 1956 he began to work in the studio of Josep Roca Sastre, an artist who decisive...
Oil, Canvas
$455
H 18 in W 13 in
Lily of the Valley - Original Framed Floral Art on Antique Botanical Book Page
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring focuses his contemporary paintings on vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday momen...
Paper, Mixed Media
$1,200
H 21 in W 26 in D 2 in
1940s Mexican City Scene by Famed Artist Francis Chapin, San Miguel de Allende
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A charming, vibrant, early Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a bustling, picturesque view of the shaded, arched arcade of the Portal de Guadalupe in the historic city of San Miguel de Allende, the painting is oil on canvas and dates circa 1940. The towering pink spire of the majestic church, the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel...
Canvas, Oil
$7,100Sale Price|63% Off
H 23 in W 27 in D 2 in
Brittany Coastal Painting France by Modern French Impressionist Landscape Artist
By George Charles Robin
Located in Preston, GB
Brittany Coastal Painting France by Modern French Impressionist Landscape Artist. Douarnenez, Brittany, France, is a rare original Oil Painting by Award Winning French Post-Impressionist Artist, George Charles Robin. Art measures 21.5 x 18 inches Frame measures 27 x 23 inches (approx.) Born in Paris in 1903, Robin was a student of Paul Michel Dupuy...
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Cotton, Linen
$425
H 12 in W 16 in D 0.63 in
"Pastel Nightmare" - Abstract Expressionist Composition
By Devon Brockopp-Hammer
Located in Soquel, CA
Subtly colored but highly textured composition by California artist Devon Brockopp-Hammer (American, b. 1986). The bottom layer is composed of white and...
Canvas, Paper, Acrylic
$1,192Sale Price|30% Off
H 22 in W 28 in D 2 in
Vintage 20th Century Painting of Lush Green Ireland Village by Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage 20th Century Painting of Lush Green Ireland Village by Irish Artist, Liam Reilly Art measures 24 x 18 inches Frame measures 28 x 22 inches This stunning painting captures t...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$712Sale Price|20% Off
H 19.75 in W 14 in D 0.13 in
Mid Century Bay Area Abstract Expressionist -- Oak Woodlands of Golden Gate Park
By Honora Berg
Located in Soquel, CA
Bay Area Abstract Expressionist -- Oak Woodlands of San Francisco Golden Gate Park This mid-century painting by Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985) depicts coastal live oaks of Golden...
Archival Paper, Oil Crayon, Watercolor
$4,000
H 28.625 in W 40.625 in D 1.375 in
John Haymson "Brooklyn Bridge" Oil Painting of New York Skyline, circa 1955
By John Haymson
Located in Miami, FL
JOHN HAYMSON – "BROOKLYN BRIDGE" ⚜ Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed ⚜ Conservation Frame NEW YORK ICON IN VIVID DETAIL This atmospheric oil painting by John Haymson captures the enduring...
Canvas, Oil
Venice by Wolf Kahn
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New Orleans, LA
Wolf Kahn 1927-2020 American Venice Signed "W Kahn" (lower right) Pastel on paper An exceptionally rare early work by one of America’s preeminent colorists, this pastel captures ...
Pastel, Paper
Foggy Morning By Wolf Kahn
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New Orleans, LA
Wolf Kahn 1927-2020 American/German Foggy Morning Signed "W. Kahn" (lower left) Oil on canvas Beloved for his strikingly vivid and colorful landscapes, Wolf Kahn is one of the mo...
Canvas, Oil
"Purple Hills" Wolf Kahn, Vermont Meadow Landscape, Pastels
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Purple Hills Pastel on paper 10 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches Provenance: Collection of Stafford Elias Christies New York, Interiors, December 13, 2017, Lot 343 Private Collection, ...
Paper, Pastel
Sold
H 15.75 in W 17.25 in
"Behind Reeds" Wolf Kahn, Vermont Marsh Landscape with Trees and Barn, Pastels
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Behind Reeds, 2004 Signed lower left Pastel on paper 7 x 9 inches Provenance: The artist Ameringer McEnery Yohe Gallery, New York Private Collection, Florida An important...
Paper, Pastel
Beaver Swamp in Autumn, 1975
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn paints a marshy forest landscape in his signature modern style in his oil painting entitled, “Beaver Swamp in Autumn.”
Canvas, Oil
"Dark Diagonal" Wolf Kahn, Vermont Landscape with Trees, Pastels
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Dark Diagonal, 2012 Signed lower center Pastel on paper 9 x 12 inches An important member of the second generation New York School, Wolf Kahn is renowned for his luminous,...
Paper, Pastel
Sold
H 15.5 in W 17.5 in
"Strong Pink" Wolf Kahn, Vermont Landscape with Trees, Pastels
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Strong Pink, 2000 Signed lower center Pastel on paper 8 x 10 inches An important member of the second generation New York School, Wolf Kahn is renowned for his luminous, r...
Paper, Pastel
Sold
H 34 in W 40 in
"Barns and Silos in New Jersey" Wolf Kahn, Landscape, Abstract Impressionist
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Barns and Silos in New Jersey, 1985 Signed lower center Oil on canvas 28 x 34 inches An important member of the second generation New York School, Wolf Kahn is renowned fo...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 15.5 in W 18.25 in D 1.25 in
Roughly Textured Trees (unique signed landscape color field pastel painting)
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn Roughly Textured Trees, 1995 Oil pastel on paper Hand signed in pastel by Wolf Kahn on the bottom front Frame included: held in the original vintage metal frame Hand signe...
Oil Pastel, Pastel
Sold
H 24 in W 34 in
"Blue Hills in the Green Mountains, " Wolf Kahn, Vermont Landscape, Expressionism
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Wolf Kahn (American, 1927 - 2020) Blue Hills in the Green Mountains, 1981 Oil on canvas 18 x 28 innches Signed lower left Provenance: Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York, May 29, 198...
Canvas, Oil
A Yellow Glimpsed
By Wolf Kahn
Located in New York, NY
Purple Abstraction by Wolf Khan (1927-2020) Oil on canvas 25 ½ x 37 ⅝ inches unframed (64.77 x 95.58 cm) Description: In this Untitled Purple Abstraction Wo...
Oil
"Harvey's View", Modernist Landscape Painting by Wolf Kahn
By Wolf Kahn
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist landscape painting by Wolf Kahn (b.1927). Titled, "Harvey's View, circa 1988. Signed lower right. Displayed in a giltwood frame. Im...
Canvas, Oil