Wolf Kahn (German-American, 1927-2020), Kahn Barn

Oil on canvas, 1974, signed at lower right, presented in the likely original frame.

Stretcher size 20 x 30 in.; Frame dimensions 21 1/4 x 31 in.

This painting has been examined by The Wolf Kahn Foundation and will be included in the Wolf Kahn Catalogue Raisonné. A letter, dated December 4, 2025, from the Foundation accompanies this lot.

Wolf Kahn was a German-American painter known for his vibrant landscapes that combined elements of realism, impressionism, and abstraction. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Kahn fled Nazi persecution with his family and immigrated to the United States in 1940. He studied at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in New York, where he embraced color theory and gestural brushwork. As a second-generation Abstract Expressionist, he developed a distinctive style blending the atmospheric qualities of European landscape painting with the bold, expressive color of American abstraction. His landscapes, often featuring rolling fields, barns, and forests, were infused with an ethereal luminosity that set his work apart.

Kahn’s career spanned more than seven decades, earning him widespread recognition and exhibitions in major institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He split his time between New York City and Vermont, where he found endless inspiration in the changing seasons and rural scenery. His innovative use of color—ranging from intense, unexpected hues to soft, harmonious tones—cemented his legacy as one of the most influential landscape painters of the 20th and 21st centuries. Today, his work continues to inspire artists and collectors, celebrated for its emotional depth and masterful fusion of color and form.

Light surface scuff along stretcher edge at lower right corner; else in good estate condition.