German-born American artist Wolf Kahn is best known for his colorful body of work that exists outside any one movement; a rich blend of Color Field painting, Abstract Expressionism and Impressionist traditions. The present lot is representative of his later work in which he boldly used color while grounding the composition in recognizable landscape elements like trees, ponds and horizon lines. Louis Finkelstein describes Kahn’s ‘color statement’ as ‘constantly seeking the new color for skies, the new color for foliage, the color that has never been used there before...In his later paintings, he poses the aim of simplicity, clarity, and austerity against the complexity and daring of using colors that have never been used before, for that purpose and in that combination, pushing the envelope of description by the most extravagant effects’ (J. Spring, L. Finkelstein, Wolf Kahn, New York, 1996, p. 118).
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Condition report
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The canvas is not lined. The paint layer is stable and under a clear varnish that has slightly yellowed. Some minor surface soiling and some scattered minor areas of surface cracking. Inspected under ultraviolet light. There is no apparent inpainting. The painting can be hung in its present state and is offered with a simple wood frame. Please note that Christie's does not guarantee the condition of frames.
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Lot 283Sale 21000
Lebanon, New Hampshire Municipal AirportWOLF KAHN (AMERICAN, 1927-2020)Estimate: USD 20,000 - 30,000
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