“Keep the childlike vision and remain true to your ideas.”
-Wolf Kahn
Wolf Kahn was born on October 4th, 1927 in Germany. He is a German-born American painter who began drawing at the age of four. At the age of twelve, in 1940 he moved to New York City.
He attended the High School of Music and Art and studied under the abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann at the Hans Hofmann School. He became Hofmann’s studio assistant.
Wolf Kahn is known for his work in pastels and oil paint. He combines realism landscapes with Colour Field Theory.
It is said that Kahn is an artist “who embodies the synthesis of his modern abstract training with Hans Hofmann, with the palette of Matisse, Rothko’s sweeping bands of color, and the atmospheric qualities of American Impressionism. It is precisely this fusion of color, spontaneity and representation that has produced such a rich and expressive body of work.”
He has travelled extensively, painting the landscapes of Egypt, Greece, Hawaii, Italy, Kenya, Maine, Mexico and New Mexico.
He currently lives in New York City and during the summer and autumn, he lives on a hillside farm in Vermont.
Students helped celebrate Kahn’s 90th birthday using soft pastels and acrylic paint to make their creations.
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