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Wolf Kahn (1927-2020) Orange Forest
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.
Provenance
Acquired by the father of the current owner in New York in the 2010s.
Condition Report
Good vintage condition; vibrant colors with a delicate, atmospheric surface; minor edge wear consistent with age; housed on its original wooden stretcher.
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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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