Introduction to the Kahn art sale catalogue
Jack Kahn was a successful businessman in Cape Town who 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.
The following is the introduction to the sales catalogue, written by his old school friend, Joe Wolpe
The following is the introduction to the sales catalogue, written by his old school friend, Joe Wolpe
I have known Jack Kahn since the 1930s, when we attended the same school, SACS in Cape Town. Jack lived in the Gardens and in Sea Point for most of his life.
His introduction to the art world began in his early years when his father ran the Orient Candle Factory in Roeland Street. In the adjacent grounds a dilapidated old house served as studios for two young impoverished artists struggling to establish themselves, Wolf Kibel (1903-1937) and Lippy Lipshitz (1903-1980) both of whom later became two of South Africa’s highly respected and famous artists. The studios became fondly known as “Palm Studios” from an ancient palm tree close to the house’s entrance.
Kahn was advised by kinsman, close friend and art mentor, sculptor Solly Disner (1913-1985). Disner was also to a great extent mentor to distinguished artist, Paul Du Toit (1922-1986) whom Disner considered to be among the very best local painters of his generation. This explains the large number of superb Du Toits in Kahn’s collection.
With Disner’s guidance and Kahn’s own discernment, excellent taste and enthusiasm, the collection hanging in Kahn’s modest Sea Point apartment was of consistently high quality and provided Jack and his wife, Helene, tremendous enjoyment.
Kahn avoided publicity of any kind but was generous enough to lend many of his pictures to galleries for retrospective exhibitions or for illustrations in art books.
I had seen less and less of Jack in recent years, and it was with great sadness that I heard of his death in 2005. Helene never recovered from her loss and died the following year.
Seeing this outstanding collection again has been a glorious and stimulating trip down memory lane. I have been transported back fifty years to the days when I was involved in creative framing and it was highly evocative seeing several superb paintings which I had the privilege of framing.
Jack Kahn will be remembered with great respect and affection by all who knew him as a thoroughly decent human being of dignity, integrity, unassuming, quietly-spoken – an all-round gentleman of the old school.
The proceeds of the Kahn Collection will be donated to charity, in accordance with their last wishes.
Joe Wolpe
Cape Town, 2006