Helene Kahn (nee Levitt) & Jack Kahn
מרת הינדה בת בן ציון הלוי ז"ל ויעקב בן מרדכי צבי ז"ל
Helene Minnie (Mirit Hinde was her Hebrew name) was born on 11th May 1918. She married Jack Kahn, whose family was originally from Latvia. She continued to live in Cape Town, passing away in 2006, a few months after Jack passed away in 2005.
We were very close to Helene and Jack, and after Mary, Helene was perhaps next closest to my Dad in our small immediate family. Perhaps because, like Mary, Helene never had kids, my brother and I were something of surrogate kids to them. Jack’s face always lit up at the opportunity of a little youthful mischief, even if it did not involve children: my parents always told of an occasion before I was born when Jack and Helene were visiting, and they went for ice cream at the famous Nicholls' of Parkgate on the Wirral, whilst Helene stayed at home, and Jack was like a little boy with the pleasure of the ice cream and said, “Don’t tell Helene!”
We were very close to Helene and Jack, and after Mary, Helene was perhaps next closest to my Dad in our small immediate family. Perhaps because, like Mary, Helene never had kids, my brother and I were something of surrogate kids to them. Jack’s face always lit up at the opportunity of a little youthful mischief, even if it did not involve children: my parents always told of an occasion before I was born when Jack and Helene were visiting, and they went for ice cream at the famous Nicholls' of Parkgate on the Wirral, whilst Helene stayed at home, and Jack was like a little boy with the pleasure of the ice cream and said, “Don’t tell Helene!”
I had wanted to visit South Africa for years, preferably with my dad, but he never wanted to go back (he only went once, with my mum, when I was in utero, as he was always pleased to relate). In 2005, when we heard Jack was very unwell, even though it wasn’t a good time for us we decided we had to go, so we did. As well as touring round Cape Town, researching in the archives, and finding graves, we of course spent much time with Jack and Helene. Jack was almost without speech, and very tired, and sometimes confused because of the drugs he was on. But when he saw our kids, he became his old, gentle self, so lovely with them, and sat smiling gently for hours. Helene too was so pleased to be able to meet them. I really believe Jack held on to see our kids, as he died they day after we flew home. And of course, within a year, Helene died.
Jack was a successful businessman in Cape Town and, as well as giving money to charitable causes, built up an enviable collection of Jewish and South African painting with Helene, as well as important furniture and Georgian silver. Jack's estate passed to Helene, and after she died, the important art items were auctioned by Sotheby's through Stephan Welz and Co of Cape Town, in a sale which caught the attention of the art world and media around the globe. An expensively produced sales catalogue - entitled Highly Important South African Paintings from the Collection of the Late Jack and Helene Kahn - took the opportunity to note the importance of Helene and Jack's unique collection, and the once-in-a-lifetime sale of 45 paintings, on 13 February 2007 at Kirstenbosch, realised some seven million Rand. Paintings were by such artists as Irma Stern, Maggie Laubser, Hugo Naude, Jean Welz, Gregoire Boonzaier, Ruth Prowse, Maurice van Essche, Cecil Higgs, Tinus de Jongh, Robert Gwelo Goodman, Maud Sumner, May Hillhouse, Nita Spilhaus, Paul du Toit, Eleanor Esmond-White, Jan Volschenk, Wolf Kibel, Constance Penstone and Lippy Lipschitz.
Top price was R6.6 million for Irma Stern's 1936 portrait of an Indian woman holding a bunch of flowers,an auction record for the artist. Presale estimates for theportrait were R1 - R1.5 million.
The will provided that the bulk of the estate, once realised, went to Jewish charitable causes, but Jack and Helene kindly provided for a modest bequest to myself and my brother, Daniel, among a few other close family members.
Click below to download an article in the Economist magazine of 26 January 2008 regarding the then imminent art sale.
The will provided that the bulk of the estate, once realised, went to Jewish charitable causes, but Jack and Helene kindly provided for a modest bequest to myself and my brother, Daniel, among a few other close family members.
Click below to download an article in the Economist magazine of 26 January 2008 regarding the then imminent art sale.
20080126_-_irma_stern_article_-_economist.pdf | |
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