MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.- Artist Louis Kahan died in Melbourne at the age of 97. He was very well-known for his portraits. In 1962 he won the Archibal Prize. Louis Kahan was born in Vienna in 1905. His father ran a successful tailoring business whose clientele included many musical identities of the time. As they were fitted, they were also incidentally sketched by the young Kahan. During this time he attended many concert rehearsals and became fascinated by sketching musicians in action. Many of his works, throughout his career as an artist, have references to the tailors’ mannequin, measuring tape, scissors and fabric.



At twenty he left Vienna for Paris, first working for the legendary Paul Poiret as a designer, then freelance as a draftsman. In 1939 he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, and was demobbed in 1941. From 1943 until 1945 he worked as a volunteer war artist, sketching the wounded servicemen in the American and French Hospitals. This experience developed his ability to evoke the essence of a subject in minimum time.



Louis Kahan emigrated to Australia in 1947. His artistic repertoire extends from painting to printmaking and stained glass window design. He has also designed for the opera, including productions for Sadlers Wells and the Australian Opera. In 1962 he was the recipient of the Archibald Prize for his portrait of Patrick White. Louis Kahan is represented in the Australian National Gallery, all state galleries, regional galleries and University collections. He is also represented in the public galleries of Australia, New Zealand, Israel and the United States. He was awarded the A.O. in 1993.