68

SCOTT KAHN

American, b. 1946

"The Woods", 2017

oil on linen
signed and dated lower right "Scott Kahn, '17", titled, signed and inscribed on the stretcher "2016-2017, © 2017 by Scott Kahn all rights reserved"
20 x 22 inches

  • Provenance: The artist, Brooklyn, New York; Private Collection, New Canaan, Connecticut.

    Framed size: 21 3/8 x 23 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches

    tags: oil painting, landscape, surrealist, modern / contemporary, 20th century



    Drawing from his imagination and memories, Scott Kahn creates surrealist, dreamlike landscapes of people and places from his life. He considers his work a "visual diary of the world around him."1 Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1946, Kahn has maintained a studio in Brooklyn for most of his career. Although he describes himself as a self-taught artist, Kahn earned his BFA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MFA from Rutgers University. He studied at the Art Students League in New York with Theodoros Stamos and met many of the first generation Abstract Expressionists, including Mark Rothko.

    In a recent review published in the New York Sun, critic Dana Gordon draws parallels between Kahn's work and historical American Art. "Traditions of American art are also brought to mind my Mr. Kahn's work: The compressed (if not repressed) expressionist realism and personal space of Ammi Phillips, Edward Hicks, Grant Wood, John Steuart Curry, and Thomas Hart Benton, as well as the colored light of the Luminists like Martin Johnson Heade."

    Gordon continues, "In contrast to all those traditions, the narrative in Mr. Kahn's paintings is buried. For good reason: The content of your unconscious is at its most powerful when you don't know what it is. He says, ‘The inspiration can come from something I see repeatedly in my daily life, or can be something I see in a flash.'"2

    In 2015, Kahn connected with Canadian artist Matthew Wong through social media. The two formed a friendship inspiring one another and admiring each other's work. Before his untimely death at 35 years old, Wong visited Kahn's Brooklyn studio and helped to promote Kahn's work among his dealers and patrons. After Wong's death his prices have skyrocketed and collectors have clamored for his work. Similarly, dealers and collectors have turned their attention to Scott Kahn who has benefited from renewed attention and a meteoric market rise.

    Kahn has been the subject of sold out shows at Almine Rech in Paris and Harper Levine in New York. Two museums in China purchased paintings by Kahn from his recent show at Almine Rech and The Long Museum has offered the artist a retrospective in 2024.3 In the United States, his work is in a growing number of public collections including the University of Pennsylvania and the ICA Miami. Kahn was the recipient of an award from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Edward Albee Foundation.

    1 "Scott Kahn," Almine Rech, New York, New York
    2 Dana Gordon, "Scott Kahn's Intensely ‘Unique Voice' Haunts Manhattan," from The New York Sun (May 2, 2022)
    3 Katya Kazakina, "How Septuagenarian Artist Scott Kahn Went From Living in His Cousin's Attic to Selling Out Solo Shows in Just Three Years" in artnet news, May 3, 2022,
    https://news.artnet.com/market/scott-kahn-2108145
  • Condition: In excellent original condition; unlined canvas

    We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Shannon’s is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Frames on all paintings are sold "As Is". Frames may need some conservation. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD “AS IS” IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE. 

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