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Details
Signed lower right in a magenta-pink pigment: “W. Kahn”.
Sizes:
Artwork: 59.5 × 89 cm | 23.4 × 35 in
This radiant oil on canvas is a quintessential example of Wolf Kahn’s unique synthesis of American Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism. The composition focuses on a dense stand of slender trees, rendered in a glowing palette of cadmium orange and golden yellow that suggests the peak of autumn or the intense light of a setting sun. Below the vibrant canopy, Kahn introduces a bold, horizontal band of shocking magenta, grounded by a thin strip of emerald green at the very base.
Kahn, a student of Hans Hofmann, was a master of using color to define space and mood. In this work, the trees are not merely subjects but vertical rhythms that break the field of color. The hazy, almost ethereal quality of the light is achieved through thin, layered glazes, creating a luminous “glow” that is the hallmark of his late, celebrated style.
Condition Report
Good vintage condition; vibrant colors with a delicate, atmospheric surface; minor edge wear consistent with age; housed on its original wooden stretcher.
Authenticity & Buyer Information
This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification and is covered by our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale. The guarantee concerns authorship; it does not extend to provenance, dating, condition or value, which are described to the best of our knowledge.
Buyers should review the catalogue carefully and raise any questions before bidding; additional information is not ordinarily provided after the auction.
5-Year Authenticity Guarantee
Five years on authorship for works catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification (Section 4 of our Conditions of Sale); headings such as “Attributed to” or “Circle of” are sold as described.
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Questions about this lot
How does the estimate compare with the artist’s recent auction results?
The estimate of €20,000–€30,000 is our opinion of the range this work should reach; the starting price of €10,000 is the lowest bid we accept. We have not published comparable results for this lot; ask us before the sale and we will send the results we based the estimate on.
What will this lot cost in total?
Bidding on this site, the buyer’s premium is 25%, Spanish IVA included, and there is no VAT on the hammer price and no card fee: at the starting price of €10,000 the total is €12,500; at the low estimate of €20,000 the total is €25,000; at the high estimate of €30,000 the total is €37,500.
Through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Drouot or Bidspirit the premium is 30%, so the same hammer of €30,000 costs €39,000 there. Shipping and insurance are quoted separately; the estimator on this page gives the figure for your country. Buyers outside the EU pay no Spanish tax on the lot; the destination’s import rules apply (United States: original paintings and drawings enter duty-free; United Kingdom: 5% import VAT on art). Card payments are accepted up to €10,000; larger amounts by bank transfer.
Is the attribution covered by the Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee?
Yes. This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification, so it carries our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale: if the authorship proves materially incorrect, you may return the work within five years for a refund of the purchase price. The guarantee concerns authorship; provenance, dating, condition and value are described to the best of our knowledge and are not guaranteed.
Can I see the condition report, more photographs or the work itself?
A condition report with ultraviolet photographs is prepared on request, normally within two working days; the condition summary on this page is examined in-house and is not a conservator’s report. Further photographs of any detail, the reverse or the frame are sent on request. The work can be examined in our Barcelona showroom by appointment before the sale, and you are welcome to send your own conservator or specialist.
Wolf Kahn
Wolf Kahn was one of the most important colorists of the 20th century. Born in Germany, he immigrated to the United States in 1940. He became a central figure in the New York art world, successfully bridging the gap between representational landscape painting and the pure color-driven concerns of Abstract Expressionism.
His work is defined by its serene, meditative quality and a profound sensitivity to the natural world. Kahn’s paintings are featured in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
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