Louis Kahan: Creativity & Connection

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Dena Kahan, the daughter of the well-known artist Louis Kahan. That conversation prompted me to revisit the life and work of an Australian artist who is both fascinating and, in recent years, somewhat overlooked. In my view, Louis Kahan made an important contribution to Australian art, one that deserves renewed attention.

Louis Kahan AO (born Ludwig Kahan, Vienna 1905 – Melbourne 2002) was admired for both his artistry and his generosity. Born into a tailoring family in Vienna, he learned his craft in his father’s atelier, sketching performers and patrons who passed through. By the mid-1920s, Kahan had moved to Paris, working under fashion icon Paul Poiret, first as a tailor, then as a designer. Immersed in the creative scene in Paris he met some of the 20th century’s most influential artists, including Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy and Josephine Baker.

When World War II broke out, Kahan joined the French Foreign Legion and served as a war artist in North Africa. He became known for sketching wounded servicemen on air letters, images later reproduced and sent to families, providing comfort and connection. In 1947 Kahan emigrated to Australia where he married his wife Lily Isaac in 1954. Lily was a lifelong supporter of his art and crucial in documenting his legacy alongside his two daughters.

Settling first in Perth, then Melbourne, Kahan flourished across multiple disciplines. He became celebrated for his drawings of Australian literary figures, published in Meanjin and The Age, praised for their clarity and psychological insight. In 1962 he won the Archibald Prize for his portrait of Patrick White, painted from life in the writer’s home, a work now in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

In 1995 on his 90th birthday, Kahan was awarded the Australian Painters and Sculptors Medal in acknowledgement of his contribution to Australian art. Kahan was as generous with his time and encouragement as he was skilled with his pen and brush.

Kahan surrounded himself with fellow artists fostering friendships, offering support, and creating opportunities. His home became a meeting place for creativity, and his collection a living reflection of those relationships.

We are now privileged to be offering works from Louis Kahan’s personal collection, which he compiled in support of artists, some of whom were his close friends.

One in particular holds special resonance: Landscape with Figures (1973) by Robert Litchfield (Bob) Juniper. This remarkable work was a constant presence in the Kahan household. Dena Kahan, herself an accomplished artist, recalls it vividly. The layered landscape, with abstracted forms and quiet human presence, was as memorable part of her childhood environment.

Juniper’s Landscape with Figures blends the earthy palette and sweeping forms of the Australian environment with lyrical abstraction. This work shifts between landscape and dreamscape. This work in Kahan’s home was part of the family’s lived experience, quietly shaping a young artist’s eye.

Being patrons of the arts and having an appreciation of artistry in all forms, it is no surprise another highlight of the Kahan collection is a small selection of bespoke furniture made by Melbourne craftsman Schulim Krimper. The pieces were made for the Kahan family in the late 1950s and early 1960s including a drinks trolley, a nest of tables, and a cabinet. The most notable piece in the collection and the only piece not bespoke made is the rare glass-topped Blackbean desk pictured on our cover. The desk was purchased by Lily and Louis Kahan in the 1970s, from Krimper’s widow as being Krimper’s own personal desk. The desk is likely to have been made in the late 1950s and features in Terence Lane’s 1987 Krimper book. 

The offering of these works is a window into a life lived in art, one where friendships, mentorships, and shared creative journeys matter. In presenting, we honour not only Kahan’s own extraordinary contribution, but also the community of artists he nurtured and celebrated.